Identity Domains

Identity domains are structured systems or namespaces that govern how unique identifiers are assigned, managed, validated, and recognized across organizations, industries, or governments.

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What Identity Domains Define?

Identity Domains define:

  • Scope – what type of entity is being identified (e.g. person, product, country, organization, etc.)

  • 🏛️ Authority / Policy – who issues and maintains the ID (e.g. government, standards body, global registry)

  • 🔄 Interoperability – how those IDs are used and trusted across systems

🤔Think of them like “realms” where IDs are meaningful


Examples

a passport number is valid within the government-issued identity domain, while a GTIN is valid within the global product trade domain.

Below is a short summary of Identity Domains with their scope, who manages them, and their uses:

Identity Domain
Scope
Managed By
Example Use

Notice of Birth Serial

Person (birth record)

Government registry

Issuing legal documents

National ID

Person (citizens/residents)

National government

Social services, identification

LMIS Item Code

Product (health commodities)

Supply chain systems

Inventory & logistics

ISO 3166

Country / Territory

ISO

Country codes in databases

GS1 GLN

Location (site/organization)

GS1

Shipment & transaction info

GS1 GTIN

Product (trade item)

GS1

Barcodes, retail systems

Pacific Data Hub Unit ID

Dataset / organization

Pacific Data Hub

Regional data integration

chevron-right👶Notice of Birth Serial Numberhashtag

Brief Explanation

  • 🆔A unique number assigned to a birth registration record (often part of a civil registry system).

  • ℹ️Vital records / civil registration – managed by government authorities.

  • 🔗Officially links a person’s legal identity to a 🤰birth record (often used for issuing 📃birth certificates, 📓passports, or #️⃣national IDs).

  • 💼Example:

    • 🍁(In Canada) Ontario’s #️⃣Notice of Live Birth record number

      • used by the ��Office of the Registrar General.

chevron-right🌐National IDhashtag

Brief Explanation

  • 🆔A government-issued identifier uniquely assigned to a citizen or resident.

  • ℹ️National identity systems / population registries.

  • 🔗Enables access to government services, social security, healthcare, voting, taxation, etc.

  • 💼Examples:

    • 🍁SIN (Social Insurance Number) – Canada

    • 🗽SSN (Social Security Number) – USA

    • #️⃣Aadhaar Number – India

    • 💳National Identity Card Number – EU member states

chevron-right🚛LMIS Item Code ID (Logistics Management Information System)hashtag

Brief Explanation

  • 🆔A code that uniquely identifies items (often health commodities) in a logistics or supply chain database.

  • ℹ️Supply chain / inventory management systems.

  • 🔗Tracks products across procurement, storage, and distribution systems (like medicines, vaccines, or supplies).

  • 💼Example

    • 💊MED-000123 as an LMIS code for a specific malaria medication in a public health database.

chevron-right🌍ISO 3166 Country Identifiershashtag

Brief Explanation

  • 🆔A standardized set of codes assigned to 🗺️countries and 🗾territories (e.g. alpha-2, alpha-3, numeric).

  • 🌍Geopolitical / location standards.

  • 🔗Provides a globally recognized, unambiguous way to identify countries and regions in systems (like passports, shipping, data reporting, and trade).

  • 💼Examples:

    • 🍁CA – Canada

    • 🗽US – United States

    • 🌄ID – Indonesia

    • 👑GB – United Kingdom

chevron-right🗺️GS1 Global Location Number (GLN)hashtag

Brief Explanation

  • 🆔A globally unique identifier assigned to a legal, physical, or functional location (like a warehouse, hospital, or company head quarters).

  • 🌐Global trade and logistics.

  • 🔗Enables standardized communication between organizations by identifying the exact location involved in transactions or logistics.

  • 💼Example

    • 🏭A manufacturer’s distribution center might have GLN 1234567890001.

chevron-right🏬GS1 Global Trade Item Number (GTIN)hashtag

Brief Explanation

  • 🆔A unique identifier for trade items (products or services) used in retail and supply chain management.

  • 🛒Product identity and commerce.

  • 🔗Enables universal product recognition (like UPC/EAN barcodes) for scanning, inventory control, and e-commerce.

  • 💼Examples

    • 🫙00012345600012GTIN for a specific bottle of Tylenol®

    • 🎮00889842805119GTIN for a PlayStation 5 console

chevron-right🆔Pacific Data Hub Unit IDhashtag

Brief Explanation

  • 🆔A unique identifier for datasets, organizations, or units within the Pacific Data Hub

    • Pacific Data Hub — a regional data-sharing platform.

  • ℹ️Regional data governance and integration.

  • 🔗Ensures consistent referencing of entities across Pacific Island countries for development, research, and policy-making.

  • 💼Example

    • 🐟A dataset on fisheries might be registered as PDH-ORG-1234.


Working with Identity Domains

In regards to Identity Domains, here is a list of available operations that can be done:

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