eBank UK: links with eLearning and digital libraries

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eBank UK linking scientific data, scholarly
communication and learning
Michael Day and Rachel HeeryUKOLN, University
of Bath http//www.ukoln.ac.uk/projects/ebank-uk/
JISC Joint Programmes Meeting, Brighton, 7 July
2004
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Outline

• eBank UK project aims
• Progress to date
• Potential use
• Integration in digital library services
• Use in e-learning contexts
• Open data repositories

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The project team

• UKOLN (Bath)
• Michael Day
• Monica Duke
• Rachel Heery
• Liz Lyon
• Andy Powell

• Southampton
• Les Carr
• Simon Coles
• Jeremy Frey
• Chris Gutteridge
• Mike Hursthouse
• Manchester
• John Blunden-Ellis

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eBank UK in a nutshell

• To develop a pilot service linking journal
  articles and scientific datasets
• (September 2003-August 2004)
• Create institutional repository of
  crystallographic data (Southampton)
• Modify EPrints.org software to handle datasets
  (Southampton)
• Demonstrate eBank search service - linked to
  ePrints UK - indexing harvested descriptions of
  datasets and journal articles (UKOLN)
• Embed eBank service into the PSIgate subject
  gateway (Manchester)

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Project motivation

• Exponential growth in data arising from e-science
  requires new modes of data curation
• Publication at source need to embed deposit of
  datasets into the scientific workflow
• More effective access to existing datasets
• Enable re-use of data (and curation)
• Enrich scholarly communication
• Investigating recording the provenance of data

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Crystallographic data workflow
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Progress so far

• Pilot institutional repository of
  crystallographic structure reports at Southampton
• Enhanced EPrints.org software
• Demonstrator eBank service at UKOLN
• Work to follow on embedding service into PSIgate
• Workshop planned August 2004

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Demonstrator

• Structure reports and metadata created and stored
  at local site (initially Southampton) using
  EPrints.org software
• Metadata made available via OAI-PMH
• eBank demonstrator service harvests this metadata
  (OAI Service Provider)
• Potentially, other services can build on this
  infrastructure, e.g. links (citations) from
  published papers, the PSIgate portal, the JISC IE
  
• Some diagrams

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Linking Crystallographic data and journal e-Prints
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Searching, linking and embedding
Dataset
Dataset
dctermsreferences
Crystal structure (data holding)
ePrint UK aggregator service
Harvesting OAI-PMH oai_dc
Linking
Searching, linking and embedding
ebank_dc record (XML)
dctypeCrystalStructureand/orCollection
Harvesting OAI-PMH ebank_dc
PSIgate portal
dcidentifier
eBank UK aggregator service
Crystal structure report (HTML)
Institutional repository
dctermsisReferencedBy
Eprint manifestation(e.g. PDF)
Linking
Harvesting OAI-PMH oai_dc
Eprint oai_dc record (XML)
Eprintjump-off page (HTML)
dctypeEprint and/or Text
Subject service
dcidentifier
Searching, linking and embedding
Model input Andy Powell, UKOLN.
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eBank (potential) links with eLearning

• Provide access to primary research data within
  learning materials
• in the taught postgraduate curriculum in
  chemistry, undergraduate project work, chemical
  informatics courses
• Inclusion of e-research data in e-learning
  courses.
• through links in reading lists, through essay
  assignments, through analytical problem solving,
  through practical work, through RDN PSIgate
  links, etc.

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eBank (potential) generic solution

• During Phase 1 eBank has focussed exclusively on
  the chemistry domain and in particular within the
  area of crystallography.
• Potential to expand remit to
• wider range of crystallographic data
• other chemistry sub-domains (e.g., combinational
  chemistry)
• Other sciences, e.g., bioinformatics, physical
  sciences

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Potential for Open eData Archives

• Possibilities for digital libraries to add value
  enhancing data with visualisation and scientific
  context
• through the use of mark up languages (CML, CCML,
  MathML, etc).
• Encourage cross-disciplinary collaboration

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In conclusion

• eBank demonstrates benefits to research community
• Potential for integration into digital library
  services
• Moving from demonstrator to service, need to
  involve publishers and specialist services
• Potential for pedagogical benefits in teaching
  and learning
• Wider issues of relation between research and
  learning in e-learning context