Deleted items/files with a doi need to have the doi retired

[nthieberger]

If a file/item/collection that has a doi is deleted, it has to automatically retire the doi and generate a redirection (as outlined in #670 )

[agrimmtt]

@nthieberger

• Do we make any changes to the metadata, or merely the URL that the DOI resolves to?
• Can collections be deleted? If a collection is deleted, do we need to create a redirect for the collection, its items, and files/essences?

[tom-h]

For @nthieberger 's benefit: the doi metadata is viewable via the following resolver:

https://researchdata.ands.org.au/api/doi/xml.xml/?doi={doi}

e.g., for NT1 (DOI: 10.4225/72/56E97595B6D0A)

https://researchdata.ands.org.au/api/doi/xml.xml/?doi=10.4225/72/56E97595B6D0A

@agrimmtt Best practice is to maintain and update metadata when a resource is deleted. The metadata should reflect that the resource has been retired, and point to a resolvable address. While out of scope for @nthieberger 's request, absolute best practice would be if the user had to nominate why the resource was deleted, and then this information could be added to the retired DOI's metadata... but then that's asking a lot. In theory, DOI's should only be minted in situations where a resource is going to be maintained.

I'd suggest updating the DOI to point to an "intelligent" resolver. For instance, if item NT1-001 was deleted, then update the DOI's url to point to something like:

http://catalog.paradisec.org.au/retired/DATE-TIME/collections/NT1/items/001

Anything resolved under "retired" would basically say that the collection/item/essence has been retired. The easiest solution beyond that is to offer a search box, and suggest that the user look in the catalogue to see if a similar resource is available.

A smarter solution would also provide a link to the unit above the retired resource if it exists (e..g, deleted essence -> item, deleted item -> collection, deleted collection ... nothing to point to). If a resource is removed and an identically named resource is added again, then it should point to that resource. Adding DATE-TIME (or some similar unique value) to the address would eliminate issues around a resource being removed and added again multiple times.

Even better would be to offer to reinstate the DOI (and other metadata) if an identically named resource is added again. This would require tracking deleted resources though, and hence more effort. Technically, this should only happen in cases where the re-added resource is substantially similar to the original deleted resource.