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nataled merged 2 commits into from
Mar 10, 2026
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Update id-policy.md library->foundry #2861

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Update id-policy.md library->foundry
nataled Mar 10, 2026
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Merge branch 'master' into nataled-patch-2
nataled Mar 10, 2026
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6 changes: 3 additions & 3 deletions id-policy.md
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Expand Up @@ -78,17 +78,17 @@ Individual ontology projects may, at their discretion, choose to manage these re

### Allocating IDSPACEs

All OBO ontologies should use PURLs that have a base URL within their allocated space (in CURIE form these would be prefixed with their IDSPACE). IDSPACEs within the OBO library are unique for a given project and are chosen not to conflict with prefix for other resources. Although IDSPACEs are case-sensitive, there will never be more than one IDSPACEs that are the same when compared in a case-insensitive manner. Therefore, although "GO" and "go", "Go" and "gO" are different IDSPACEs, the IDSPACE "go", "Go" and "gO" will not be used as "GO" has already been allocated.
All OBO ontologies should use PURLs that have a base URL within their allocated space (in CURIE form these would be prefixed with their IDSPACE). IDSPACEs within the OBO Foundry are unique for a given project and are chosen not to conflict with prefix for other resources. Although IDSPACEs are case-sensitive, there will never be more than one IDSPACEs that are the same when compared in a case-insensitive manner. Therefore, although "GO" and "go", "Go" and "gO" are different IDSPACEs, the IDSPACE "go", "Go" and "gO" will not be used as "GO" has already been allocated.

A registry of allocated IDSPACEs will be maintained. Requests for an IDSPACE should be made by creating a ticket on our [GitHub tracker](https://github.com/OBOFoundry/OBOFoundry.github.io/issues) as described on [this page](https://github.com/OBOFoundry/OBOFoundry.github.io/blob/master/docs/Policy_for_OBO_namespace_and_associated_PURL_requests.md).
A request should include information about the ontology, such as scope and maintainer and a confirmation that the ontology is open access.

#### Guidelines for selecting an IDSPACE

- Use three or more letters; the OBO Library **does not** accept new two-letter IDSPACEs
- Use three or more letters; the OBO Foundry **does not** accept new two-letter IDSPACEs
- Avoid the letter "O" in three-letter IDSPACES; many ontologies use "O" for "Ontology" which limits the number of combinations
- Select a longer IDSPACE for ontologies that are more restricted in scope (e.g., species-specific phenotype ontologies)
- Search **each** of the following registries to make sure your IDSPACE doesn't conflict with one inside or outside of the OBO Library:
- Search **each** of the following registries to make sure your IDSPACE doesn't conflict with one inside or outside of the OBO Foundry:
<br>&emsp; - [OBO Foundry](https://obofoundry.org)
<br>&emsp; - [Bioregistry](https://bioregistry.io) (or [browse here](https://bioregistry.io/registry/))
<br>&emsp; - [BioPortal](https://bioportal.bioontology.org/) (or [browse here](https://bioportal.bioontology.org/ontologies))
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