[urn] Request for Registration of CTS namespace

Jochen Tiepmar <[email protected]> Wed, 20 May 2026 10:01:37 +0000
Newsgroups gmane.ietf.urn
Message-ID <trinity-5da919b8-ea83-4d59-b570-c52a18a6914e-1779271297271@trinity-msg-rest-gmx-gmx-live-67f45748b-5whsq> 
--rekceb-7e1379ac-5b97-4574-a145-495f6baceb9e
Content-Type: text/html; charset=UTF-8

<html><body>Dear IANA<br><br><br>Please review the attached request for the registration of the CTS URN namespace.<br><br><br>Best Regards<br>Jochen Tiepmar<br><br><br><br><div class="signature"><br></div></body></html>
--rekceb-7e1379ac-5b97-4574-a145-495f6baceb9e
Content-Type: text/plain
Content-Disposition: attachment; filename="CTS Registration Request.txt"
X-UI-Content-Hash: a01972833ad3fae8bc7ca678af121c178b4cbbdc7a87a77066643df27217db31
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

Registration Template

   Namespace Identifier:  urn:cts:

   Version:  1

   Date:  The date when the registration is requested of IANA, using the
      format 2026-05-20.

   Registrant:  Dr. Jochen Tiepmar. Chief Implementor and Admin of the Tex=
t Service Infrastructure project.
      Email: [email protected]
      At registration date the project is hosted privately at https:urncts=
.eu.

   Purpose:  The Canonical Text Services URN (CTS URN) scheme defined here=
 (https://github.com/cite-architecture/ctsurn_spec/blob/master/md/specific=
ation.md) closely follows the syntactic requirements of a URN, but extends=
 its goal to provide a system of persistent, technology-independent identi=
fiers for texts and passages of texts. Specifically, the semantics of the =
CTS URN scheme are recognized by implementations of the Canonical Text Ser=
vices protocol, but CTS URNs can be used in any system, digital or other, =
that can parse the syntax of CTS URN values according to the syntax and se=
mantics of this specification.

   1.  The kinds of resources identified by URNs assigned within the URN n=
amespace.
       -> Text passages (Not scans of pages, but the actual text)

   2.  The scope and applicability of the URNs assigned within the URN nam=
espace;
       -> Text passages, especially but not limited to (digital) humanisti=
c science.

   3.  How the intended community (and the Internet community at large)
       will benefit from using or resolving the assigned URNs.
       -> The URNs as specified in the Canonical Text Service protocol pro=
vide persistent service-independent identifiers for (any possible) text pa=
ssage. These references are used across different tools and frameworks to =
link the text passages as interoperable entities.

   4.  How the URN namespace relates to and complements existing URN
       namespaces, URI schemes, and non-URN identifier systems.
       -> CTS URNs are thematically related to urn:nbn: (RFC8458) but urn:=
nbn: refers to locations of digitized copies of full documents. urn:cts: i=
s more limited in scope as it only serves text content but it is much more=
 fine grained and flexible as it provides a syntax that covers the citabil=
ity of any possible text passage inside a document.
      =20
   5.  The kinds of software applications that can use or resolve the
       assigned URNs
       -> As part of the infrastructure project, a growing set of interfac=
es and tools is developed. At the moment urn:cts: URNs can be resolved in =
Python, Javascript or via HTTP(S)-GET. Future interfaces will include more=
 programming languages. The infrastructure is currently encorporated in re=
search environments like CLARIN / Text+ and community driven infrastructur=
e specifications like the Distributed Text Service project (dtsapi.org).

   6.  Whether resolution services are available or will be available
       -> The text data is served via a decentralised software infrastruct=
ure. The server addresses are mapped to the [data_namespace] inside urn:ct=
s:[data_namespace]. The [data_namespace] is open source, with one instance=
 being hosted at https://urncts.eu/namespaceresolver as a baseline for fun=
ctionality.

   7.  Whether the URN namespace or its definition is expected to become
       a constituent part of a standard being developed in the IETF or
       some other recognized standards body.
	   -> No information yet.


   Syntax:  The syntax defines a text passage in a document as=20
   urn:cts:CTSNAMESPACE:WORK:PASSAGE
   CTSNAMESPACE is also referred as [data_namespace] in this request and W=
ORK and PASSAGE is further broken down to reflext the hierarchy of the doc=
ument and text passage.
   For full breakdown of the syntax and usage see the humanistic specifica=
tions at https://github.com/cite-architecture/ctsurn_spec/blob/master/md/s=
pecification.md

   Assignment:  The definition of data namespaces is completely open. Data=
 namespaces can be registered for the namespace resolver based on FCFS pri=
nciple. Data namespaces are mapped server addresses. URN notation inside a=
 data namespace follows the logic of the document structure and is applied=
 automatically. Definition of data namespaces is done at the discretion of=
 the data provider. The registration of a data namespace is similiar to th=
e open principle of how URLs are mapped to IP addresses by DNS services.
  =20
   Security and Privacy:  CTS URNs are applicable for publicly available t=
ext passages and do not contain the text content itself. This mechanism ca=
n only create privacy or security issues if the documents themselves creat=
e them. In that case the harm is not done by the URN reference but by the =
available document outside the scope of the URN.=20
   CTS URNs do not create any security or privacy risk if they are not int=
entionally and artificially misused to do that.  =20

   Interoperability: =20
   Possible confusion may arise with regard to the urn:nbn: namespace (RFC=
8458) as both refer to documents primarily in scientific contexts.=20
   They are inherently different. CTS URNs refer to (any possible) citable=
 unit within documents and translate the logic of URN notation to persiste=
ntly citable text passages. NBN URNs as described in (RFC8458) are not app=
licable for text passages but for the electronic resource that represents =
a digitised copy of the document. CTS refers to textual document content w=
hile NBN is applicable for document location.
   Interopability collisions may arise from conflicts of the data namespac=
es within the CTS URN namespace, but only if new datasets are made public =
without proper research. These conflicts resolve themselves by the FCFS pr=
inciple of the namespace resolver inside the infrastructure.
   A similiar project named Distributed Text Services may request the name=
space urn:dts: in the future. This will not create a collision as both pro=
jects work in tandem and differ in the applicable use cases. DTS relies (a=
mong others) on the citability of CTS URNs, which is the goal of this form=
al request of registration of the CTS URN namespace.
  =20
  =20
   Resolution: =20
   The text data is served via a decentralised software infrastructure. Th=
e server addresses are mapped to the namespace inside CTS [data_namespace]=
, similiar to a DNS server. The [data_namespace] is open source, with one =
instance being hosted at https:urncts.eu/namespaceresolver.
   As part of the infrastructure project, a growing set of interfaces and =
tools is developed. At the moment CTS URNs can be resolved in Python, Java=
script or via HTTP(S)-GET.

   Documentation: =20
      CTS URN specification https://github.com/cite-architecture/ctsurn_sp=
ec/blob/master/md/specification.md
      Text Service Infrastructure https://urncts.eu/
      Project Dissertation https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:bsz:15-quc=
osa2-212926

   Additional Information:  The Canonical Text Service protocol was specif=
ied by humanistic researchers in the Homer Multitext Project. The technica=
l implementation was done by the registrant as part of his dissertation an=
d ist now used as part of an infrastructure project.=20
   The specifying researchers did not register the namespace and show no i=
ntention to do so. In order to make the infrastructure safe for citation, =
the registrant and admin of the infrasstructure is hoping that he can regi=
ster the namespace. A successful registration will help to transfer the pr=
oject to a scientific organization and in the process transfer the registr=
ation of the CTS URN namespace to it.=20

   Revision Information: =20

--rekceb-7e1379ac-5b97-4574-a145-495f6baceb9e
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Transfer-Encoding: base64
Content-Disposition: inline

X19fX19fX19fX19fX19fX19fX19fX19fX19fX19fX19fX19fX19fX19fX19fX18KdXJuIG1haWxp
bmcgbGlzdCAtLSB1cm5AaWV0Zi5vcmcKVG8gdW5zdWJzY3JpYmUgc2VuZCBhbiBlbWFpbCB0byB1
cm4tbGVhdmVAaWV0Zi5vcmcK

--rekceb-7e1379ac-5b97-4574-a145-495f6baceb9e--