Improve EML Checksum Metadata Machine Readability with SPDX

[clnsmth]

Background

EML has an authentication element for defining checksum metadata. This allows the EDI repository to verify the integrity of data packages it receives and vice versa for data consumers. Currently, EDI expects the hash algorithm to be declared as the simple text string "MD5" in the method attribute of the authentication element.

Proposed Change

This practice can be improved by defining the hash algorithm as a machine-resolvable IRI from the SPDX ontology. Specifically, replace "MD5" with "http://spdx.org/rdf/terms#checksumAlgorithm_md5". This approach satisfies EML's requirements for text type content and clearly defines the algorithm using linked data terms. Additionally, this change aligns the checksum representation with Science-On-Schema.org conventions, promoting interoperability.

Affected Systems

This change would likely require coordination across various systems:

• EDI systems (PASTA, Data Portal, Congruence Checker)
• Metadata editors (ezEML, metapype-eml, EMLassemblyline)
• Data Package Best Practices