Why we need the VISION ID
Identity theft rises each year and in 2009 it rose by 22% over the previous year. To address this issue the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) directed that federal agencies reduce or eliminate the use of Personally Identifying Information (PII). Partial SSNs were defined as PII and since the Visual Information Record Identification Number (VIRIN) uses a portion of the SSN, it needed to change.
Goals for the new number
The VIRIN was developed in 1995 and has been very successful in imagery management. The VIRIN used enough unique elements that it allowed each image captured to have a unique number. This unique identifier is a powerful tool in DoD image management and given that the VIRIN is not centrally managed, some element of central management is needed in order to remove PII.
The following goals were established for the new VIRIN convention:
- Keep the easy construction model of the VIRIN. Maintain ease of creation and use while still providing a unique number to every image. Also maintain familiarity with an existing system.
- Don’t break automation systems. Many organizations, including DIMOC, use the VIRIN to automate image management. So the VIRIN structure needs to stay the same to minimize the cost of implementation.
- Ease of distinguishing from the old VIRIN. As imagery comes into DIMOC, editors should see at a glance that the number does not contain PII, and DIMOC’s automation systems can easily detect the VISION ID vice the PII.
- Sufficient capacity. Provide enough numbers to allow use for many years with a larger group of users. Mostly used by VI personnel, Public Affairs, graphics and broadcaster professional are increasingly using the VIRIN.
Applying these goals ensures the VIRIN remains unique for many years to come.
Obtaining your VISION ID
All visual information, public affairs, graphic artists and broadcaster professionals should obtain a VISION ID. A web site, https://vipro.defenseimagery.mil/, was created to provide the VISION ID. Access to the site is restricted to holders of the DoD Common Access Card (CAC). Users must also have an account with the Defense Imagery website, if no account is the user must register. If you need a VISION ID, login to the VI Professional registration site.
All students attending the Defense Information School will obtain their VISION ID during in processing. This becomes their permanent number and allows the student to become accustomed to using it during their training.
Photographers that continue to use PII and the old style VIRIN for newly created images will receive an email reminder to use the VISION ID.
VIRIN - VISION ID Structure
While to many, the VIRIN is a single number, from a structural point of view it has four discrete elements separated by hyphens that create a unique number. Those elements, or fields, are:
- Field one: Date
- Field two: Service
- Field three: Photographer
- Field four: Sequence
Example:
Old VIRIN
The VISION ID reverses the arrangement of letters and numbers, and uses 2 letters instead of one, with three numbers instead of four. Since the VISION ID contains the same number of characters as the original field three, automation systems are easily modified to handle it, and most would not need modification at all.
New VIRIN
The combination of two letters and three numbers gives a total of 676,000 combinations. The Defense Imagery Server currently has fewer than 10,000 photographers (those that use the VIRIN), so this numbering scheme ensures the VIRIN remains unique for many years to come.
Implementation
A central database of VISION IDs has been created. By analyzing the Defense Imagery Server database, VISION IDs were created for all records where unique field three information was found. The VISION IDs were randomly generated for each unique field three.
A cross-reference table has been created, and is maintained so that the original VIRIN can be reconstructed for archival purposes. When the visual record is forwarded to the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), it must contain the original data.
The cross-reference table also makes it possible to ’translate’ searches for ’legacy’ VIRINs to the ’new’ VIRIN. Taking this approach customers who want to find an old image, and have the old VIRIN, can search the database and still find it. The search will cross-reference to find the VISION ID and then search with the new number. The user then only sees the new VIRIN with the VISION ID.
With VISION IDs assigned, DVI/DIMOC developers have started to update image headers. This is a critical part of complying with the instruction to remove PII from public view. All still images since 1995 contain PII so it is necessary to replace that information to stop distribution of images with PII in the file header.
External image databases
Many agencies and services have their own collection of images that contain the old VIRIN, and DVI recognized the need to assist them in converting their records to the VISION ID.
A web application-programming interface (API) was developed that allows outside organizations to send a legacy VIRIN and receive the correct VISION ID. DoD organizations can use it to automate updating of their databases. It should be noted that DVI does not provide software-coding services but will provide instruction on the use of various tools for managing imagery header data, and how to update the header. If your organization requires access to this service, please contact customer service for assistance.
Additionally, as new images with the old VIRIN are received the system will intercept them and translate the VIRIN to the VISION ID. If a VISION ID does not exist in the cross-reference table, one will be created.