diff --git a/webapp/lib/easymock-3.2.jar b/webapp/lib/easymock-3.2.jar
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..7c439f82c
Binary files /dev/null and b/webapp/lib/easymock-3.2.jar differ
diff --git a/webapp/src/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/controller/freemarker/UrlBuilder.java b/webapp/src/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/controller/freemarker/UrlBuilder.java
index 80994386c..ed3a6430a 100644
--- a/webapp/src/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/controller/freemarker/UrlBuilder.java
+++ b/webapp/src/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/controller/freemarker/UrlBuilder.java
@@ -242,23 +242,12 @@ public class UrlBuilder {
     }
     
     public static String getIndividualProfileUrl(Individual individual, VitroRequest vreq) {
-        return getIndividualProfileUrl(individual, individual.getURI(),vreq);
-    }
-
-    public static String getIndividualProfileUrl(String individualUri, VitroRequest vreq) {
-        Individual individual = new IndividualImpl(individualUri);
-        return getIndividualProfileUrl(individual, individualUri, vreq);
-    }    
-    
-    private static String getIndividualProfileUrl(Individual individual, String individualUri, VitroRequest vreq) {
         WebappDaoFactory wadf = vreq.getWebappDaoFactory();
         String profileUrl = null;
         try {
-            URI uri = new URIImpl(individualUri); // throws exception if individualUri is invalid
-            String namespace = uri.getNamespace();
-            String defaultNamespace = wadf.getDefaultNamespace();
-    
             String localName = individual.getLocalName();
+            String namespace = individual.getNamespace();
+            String defaultNamespace = wadf.getDefaultNamespace();                
                     
             if (defaultNamespace.equals(namespace)) {
                 profileUrl = getUrl(Route.INDIVIDUAL.path() + "/" + localName);
@@ -267,7 +256,7 @@ public class UrlBuilder {
                     log.debug("Found externally linked namespace " + namespace);
                     profileUrl = namespace + localName;
                 } else {
-                    ParamMap params = new ParamMap("uri", individualUri);
+                    ParamMap params = new ParamMap("uri", individual.getURI());
                     profileUrl = getUrl("/individual", params);
                 }
             }
@@ -276,25 +265,56 @@ public class UrlBuilder {
             return null;
         }        
 
-    	if (profileUrl != null) {
-    		LinkedHashMap<String, String> specialParams = getModelParams(vreq);
-    		if(specialParams.size() != 0) {
-    			profileUrl = addParams(profileUrl, new ParamMap(specialParams));
-    		}
-    	}
-    	
-    	return profileUrl;
+        if (profileUrl != null) {
+            LinkedHashMap<String, String> specialParams = getModelParams(vreq);
+            if(specialParams.size() != 0) {
+                profileUrl = addParams(profileUrl, new ParamMap(specialParams));
+            }
+        }
+        
+        return profileUrl;
     }
 
+    /**
+     * If you already have an Individual object around, 
+     * call getIndividualProfileUrl(Individual, VitroRequest) 
+     * instead of this method. 
+     */
+    public static String getIndividualProfileUrl(String individualUri, VitroRequest vreq) {        
+        return getIndividualProfileUrl(new IndividualImpl(individualUri),  vreq);
+    }    
+    
+    protected static String getIndividualProfileUrl( 
+            String individualUri, 
+            String namespace, String localName, 
+            String defaultNamespace){
+        String profileUrl = "";
+        try{            
+            if ( isUriInDefaultNamespace( individualUri, defaultNamespace) ) {
+                profileUrl = getUrl(Route.INDIVIDUAL.path() + "/" + localName);
+            } else {
+                ParamMap params = new ParamMap("uri", individualUri);
+                profileUrl = getUrl("/individual", params);            
+            }
+        } catch (Exception e) {
+            log.warn(e);
+            return null;
+        }                
+        return profileUrl;
+    }
+    
     public static boolean isUriInDefaultNamespace(String individualUri, VitroRequest vreq) {
         return isUriInDefaultNamespace(individualUri, vreq.getWebappDaoFactory());
     }
     
-    public static boolean isUriInDefaultNamespace(String individualUri, WebappDaoFactory wadf) {       
+    public static boolean isUriInDefaultNamespace(String individualUri, WebappDaoFactory wadf) {
+        return isUriInDefaultNamespace( individualUri, wadf.getDefaultNamespace());
+    }
+    
+    public static boolean isUriInDefaultNamespace(String individualUri, String defaultNamespace){
         try {
-            URI uri = new URIImpl(individualUri); // throws exception if individualUri is invalid
-            String namespace = uri.getNamespace();
-            String defaultNamespace = wadf.getDefaultNamespace();  
+            Individual ind = new IndividualImpl(individualUri); 
+            String namespace = ind.getNamespace();          
             return defaultNamespace.equals(namespace);
         } catch (Exception e) {
             log.warn(e);
diff --git a/webapp/test/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/controller/freemarker/UrlBuilderTest.java b/webapp/test/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/controller/freemarker/UrlBuilderTest.java
index 56ee04719..7cc7b9508 100644
--- a/webapp/test/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/controller/freemarker/UrlBuilderTest.java
+++ b/webapp/test/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/controller/freemarker/UrlBuilderTest.java
@@ -3,12 +3,21 @@
 
 package edu.cornell.mannlib.vitro.webapp.controller.freemarker;
 
+import static org.easymock.EasyMock.*;
+
+import javax.servlet.http.HttpServletRequest;
+
 import junit.framework.Assert;
 
 import org.junit.Test;
 
+import stubs.edu.cornell.mannlib.vitro.webapp.dao.ApplicationDaoStub;
+import stubs.edu.cornell.mannlib.vitro.webapp.dao.WebappDaoFactoryStub;
 import edu.cornell.mannlib.vitro.testing.AbstractTestClass;
+import edu.cornell.mannlib.vitro.webapp.controller.VitroRequest;
 import edu.cornell.mannlib.vitro.webapp.controller.freemarker.UrlBuilder.ParamMap;
+import edu.cornell.mannlib.vitro.webapp.dao.WebappDaoFactory;
+import edu.cornell.mannlib.vitro.webapp.web.URLEncoder;
 
 public class UrlBuilderTest extends AbstractTestClass {
     
@@ -77,5 +86,80 @@ public class UrlBuilderTest extends AbstractTestClass {
         Assert.assertEquals(vClassUri, UrlBuilder.urlDecode(vClassUriEncoded));          
     }
 
+    
+    @Test 
+    public void testGetIndividualProfileURI(){
+        VitroRequest vreq = makeMockVitroRequest( "http://example.com/individual/");
+        UrlBuilder.contextPath = "http://example.com";
+        
+        String uri = "http://example.com/individual/n2343";
+        String url = UrlBuilder.getIndividualProfileUrl(uri, vreq);
+        Assert.assertEquals("http://example.com/individual/n2343", url);
+                
+        uri = "http://example.com/individual/bob";                
+        url = UrlBuilder.getIndividualProfileUrl(uri, vreq);
+        Assert.assertEquals("http://example.com/individual/bob",url);
+        
+        uri = "http://nondefaultNS.com/individual/n2343";                
+        url = UrlBuilder.getIndividualProfileUrl(uri, vreq);
+        Assert.assertEquals("http://example.com/individual?uri=" + URLEncoder.encode(uri), url);
+        
+        uri = "http://example.com/individual#n2343";                
+        url = UrlBuilder.getIndividualProfileUrl(uri, vreq);
+        Assert.assertEquals("http://example.com/individual?uri=" + URLEncoder.encode(uri), url);
+        
+        uri = "http://example.com/individual/5LNCannotStartWithNumber";                
+        url = UrlBuilder.getIndividualProfileUrl(uri, vreq);
+        Assert.assertEquals("http://example.com/individual?uri=" + URLEncoder.encode(uri), url);        
+    }
+    
+    protected VitroRequest makeMockVitroRequest( final String defaultNS){        
+        HttpServletRequest req = createMock( HttpServletRequest.class );        
+        return new VitroRequest(req){
+            
+            @Override
+            public String getParameter(String key){ return null; }
+            
+            @Override
+            public WebappDaoFactory getWebappDaoFactory(){
+                return makeMockWDF(defaultNS);
+            }
+        };
+    }
+    protected WebappDaoFactoryStub makeMockWDF( String defaultNS){
+        WebappDaoFactoryStub wdf = new WebappDaoFactoryStub();
+        wdf.setDefaultNamespace("http://example.com/individual/");
+        ApplicationDaoStub aDao = new ApplicationDaoStub(){
+            @Override
+            public boolean isExternallyLinkedNamespace(String ns){                
+                return false;
+            }
+        };        
+        wdf.setApplicationDao( aDao );
+        return wdf;
+    }
+    
+    @Test
+    public void testIsUriInDefaultNamespace(){        
+        String[][] examples = {
+                { "http://example.com/individual/n3234", "http://example.com/individual/"},
+                { "http://example.com/individual#n3234", "http://example.com/individual#"},
+                { "http://example.com:8080/individual/n3234", "http://example.com:8080/individual/"},
+                { "http://example.com:8080/individual#n3234", "http://example.com:8080/individual#"}                
+        };
+
+        for( String[] example : examples ){
+            Assert.assertTrue("expected '"+ example[0] + "' to be in the default NS of '"+example[1]+"'",
+                    UrlBuilder.isUriInDefaultNamespace(example[0], example[1]));    
+        }            
+        
+        String[][] counterExamples = {                
+                { "http://example.com/individual/5LNCannotStartWithNumber", "http://example.com/individual/" }
+        };
+        for( String[] example : counterExamples ){
+            Assert.assertFalse("expected '"+ example[0] + "' to NOT be in the default NS of '"+example[1]+"'",
+                    UrlBuilder.isUriInDefaultNamespace(example[0], example[1]));    
+        }
+    }
 
 }