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Project COUNTER and SUSHI An
OverviewOliver Pesch, EBSCO Information
Services

• NFAIS Forum Online Usage Statistics
• Current Status and Future Directions
• Philadelphia, PA
• October 27, 2006

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Overview

• Usage statistics
• Background overview of the need
• Project COUNTER
• Purpose
• Accomplishments
• Acceptance
• SUSHI
• The concept
• The technology
• Accomplishments and timeline
• The Future

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Usage Statistics The need

• Expanding scope of E-resources
• Usage seen as a measurement of value
• Cost per use for collection management
• Search counts to measure value of databases
• Use counts to help measure impact of faculty
  research
• The need to collect usage data from the growing
  list of content providers

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Usage Statistics The problems

• Inconsistencies in counting
• Terminology (what is a download)
• What and when to count
• Inconsistencies in format
• Each content provider has their own format
• Different labels, columns and rows
• Inconsistencies in delivery
• Email, versus phone request, versus FTP
• Online versus paper
• Amount of history offered
• Timeliness

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• Non-profit organization includes librarians,
  publishers and aggregators
• Lead in the standardization of usage
• How use is counted
• How use is reported
• Consistent, credible, comparable
• http//www.projectcounter.org/

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COUNTER Code of Practice

• Code of Practice first released Jan 2003
• Release 2 released Jan 2006
• Code of Practice Addresses
• Terminology
• Layout and format of reports
• Processing of usage data
• Delivery of reports
• http//www.projectcounter.org/code_practice.html

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COUNTER Usage Reports

• Journal Reports
• JR1 Full Text Article Requests by Month and
  Journal
• JR2 Turnaways by Month and Journal
• Database Reports
• DB1 Total Searches and Sessions by Month and
  Database
• DB2 Turnaways by Month and Database
• DB3 Searches and Sessions by Month and Service
• Books and Reference Works
• Title Requests, Section Requests, Searches and
  Turnaways

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Explicit report layout consistent
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Journal Report 1Number of Successful Full-Text
Article Requests by Month and Journal
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Credible COUNTER Audit

• Beginning 2007, an audit must be passed for a
  vendors service to be compliant
• Conducted by auditor certified accountant or by
  organization accredited by COUNTER
• At vendor expense

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Usage Statistics Still some problems

• COUNTER statistics provides excellent model and
  rules for usage statistics counting
• Libraries needed
• A more efficient data exchange model
• Current model is file-by-file spreadsheet
  download
• Background query and response model is more
  efficient and scalable

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Usage Data Problems

• Expanding scope of E-resources
• Data proliferation (many content providers)
• COUNTER extremely helpful, but
• Lack of standardized containers
• Time consuming to gather, assemble, report
• Usage consolidation applications help with
  assembling and reporting, not the gathering
• Hence, SUSHI (Standardized Usage Statistics
  Harvesting Initiative)

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SUSHI Objectives

• Solve the problem of harvesting and managing
  usage data from a growing number of providers.
• Promote consistency in usage formatting (XML)
• Automate the process

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SUSHI A brief history

• The SUSHI Steering Committee
• Nov. 2004 - Meetings between Cornell Innovative
• July 2005 Cross-Industry Committee forms
• Libraries
• Subscription Agents
• Content Providers
• Integrated Library System vendors

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SUSHI A brief history

• The SUSHI Steering Committee
• July. 2005 Industry Committee forms
• Cornell University Adam Chandler
• Ex Libris Ted Koppel
• EBSCO Information Systems Oliver Pesch
• Harvard University
• ? California Digital Library Ivy Anderson
• Innovative Interfaces Ted Fons
• Thompson Scientific Patricia Brennan
• University of Washington Tim Jewell

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SUSHI A brief history

• Technical Work
• Fall 2005 Technical Discussions
• First tests Innovative and EBSCO Swets
• Early 2006 Live Harvests
• University of Nebraska Lincoln EBSCO
• Washington State Univ. Project Euclid
• Spring 2006 Migration to NISO as coordinating
  body Steering Committee continues work
• September 2006 Draft Standard for Trial Use

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NISO SUSHI Working Group

• Adam Chandler (co-chair), Cornell
• Oliver Pesch (co-chair), EBSCO
• Ivy Anderson, California Digital Library
• Patricia Brennan, Thomson Scientific
• Ted Fons, Innovative Interfaces, Inc.
• Bill Hoffman, Swets Information Services
• Tim Jewell, University of Washington
• Ted Koppel, Ex Libris
• http//www.niso.org/committees/SUSHI/SUSHI_comm.ht
  ml

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SUSHI Contributing Partners

• Founding Members
• EBSCO
• Ex Libris
• Innovative Interfaces, Inc.
• Swets Information Services
• Thomson Scientific

• Newer members
• Endeavor Information Systems
• Florida Center for Library Automation
• College Center for Library Automation (CCLA) from
  the State of Florida Community Colleges
• Otto Harrassowitz
• OCLC
• Project Euclid
• Serials Solutions
• SirsiDynix

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SUSHI
The Technology
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SUSHI What it is and Isnt

• What it is
• A web-services model for requesting data
• Replaces the users need to download files from
  vendors website
• A request for data where the response includes
  COUNTER data
• Using COUNTERs schema

• What it isnt
• A model for counting usage statistics

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Web Services the chosen approach for SUSHI

• Web services combine the best aspects of
  component-based development and the Web.
• Commercially accepted
• Widely supported (W3C)
• Secure
• but first some definitions

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Definitions
XML Schema (XSD) A language for describing the
structure and constraining the contents of XML
documents. (reactivity.com glossary)
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Definitions
XML Schema (XSD) A language for describing the
structure and constraining the contents of XML
documents. (reactivity.com glossary)
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Definitions

• Web Services
• Open, standard (XML, SOAP, etc.) based Web
  applications that interact with other web
  applications for the purpose of exchanging data.
• (lucent.com)

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Definitions

• Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP)
• SOAP is a lightweight XML based protocol used
  for invoking web services and exchanging
  structured data and type information on the Web.
• (oracle.com)

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Definitions

• Web Services Description Language
• (WSDL) is an XML format published for describing
  Web services. (wikipedia.org)

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Web Services An example

• System A provides online information about
  companies.
• System B provides real-time stock quotations.
• Using Web Services, System A can integrate
  real-time stock quotes into their company data.

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System A sends the stock symbol to System B.
System B
System A
Internet
Real Time Stock Quotes (web service)
Online Company Data
Stock symbol
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System B returns the quote. All of this happens
in milliseconds.
System B
System A
Internet
Real Time Stock Quotes (web service)
Online Company Data
Stock symbol
Stock quote
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Messages are formatted in XML, and the protocol
used to communicate is SOAP (Simple Object Access
Protocol).
System B
System A
Internet
Real Time Stock Quotes
Online Company Data
Stock symbol
SOAP
Stock quote
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XML messages for SUSHI

• Report Request
• Requester
• Customer Reference
• Report Definition
• Report Response
• Requester
• Customer Reference
• Report Definition
• COUNTER report as payload

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SUSHI Architecture

• The next series of slides graphically show a
  SUSHI transaction
• Library system requests a usage report
• SUSHI client makes the request
• SUSHI server processes request
• SUSHI server prepares COUNTER report
• SUSHI server packages and returns response
• SUSHI client processes COUNTER report

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The Library and Content Providers systems are
both connected to the internet.
Content Provider
Library
Internet
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The SUSHI client is software that runs on the
librarys server, usually associated with an ERM
system.
Content Provider
Library
ERM
Internet
SUSHI Client
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The SUSHI server is software that runs on the
Content Providers server, and has access to the
usage data.
Content Provider
Library
ERM
Internet
SUSHI Server (web service)
SUSHI Client
Usage Data
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When the ERM system wants a COUNTER report, it
sends a request to the SUSHI client, which
prepares the request.
Content Provider
Library
?
ERM
Internet
Request
SUSHI Server (web service)
SUSHI Client
Usage Data
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The SUSHI request is sent to the Content
Provider. The request specifies the report and
the library the report is for.
Content Provider
Library
?
ERM
Internet
Request
Request
SUSHI Server (web service)
SUSHI Client
Usage Data
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The SUSHI server reads the request then processes
the usage data.
Content Provider
Library
?
ERM
Internet
Request
SUSHI Server (web service)
SUSHI Client
Usage Data
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The SUSHI server creates the requested COUNTER
report in XML format.
Content Provider
Library
?
ERM
Internet
SUSHI Server (web service)
SUSHI Client
COUNTER
Usage Data
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A response message is prepared according to the
SUSHI XML schema.
Content Provider
Library
?
ERM
Response
Internet
SUSHI Server (web service)
SUSHI Client
COUNTER
Usage Data
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The COUNTER report (XML) is added to the Response
as its payload. The response is sent to the
client.
Content Provider
Library
?
ERM
Response
Internet
SUSHI Server (web service)
SUSHI Client
COUNTER
Usage Data
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The COUNTER report (XML) is added to the Response
as its payload. The response is sent to the
client.
Content Provider
Library
?
ERM
Response
Internet
SUSHI Server (web service)
SUSHI Client
COUNTER
Usage Data
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The SUSHI client processes the response and
extracts the COUNTER report.
Content Provider
Library
?
ERM
Response
Internet
SUSHI Server (web service)
SUSHI Client
COUNTER
Usage Data
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The extracted COUNTER report is passed to the ERM
system for further processing.
Content Provider
Library
?
ERM
COUNTER
Internet
SUSHI Server (web service)
SUSHI Client
Usage Data
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Report Request Detailed View

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Report Response Detailed View

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Example code for SUSHI client
public static void GetReport()            
ReportRequest request new ReportRequest()      
   request.Requestor new Requestor("11",
"Requestor Name", "Name_at_Company.com")        
request.CustomerReference new
CustomerReference(customerId, customer)        
ReportDefinitionFilters filters new
ReportDefinitionFilters(new Range(dateStart,
dateEnd))         request.ReportDefinition new
ReportDefinition(filters, "Report 1
(J1)")         SushiWsClientProxy.SushiwsPort
service new SushiWsClientProxy.SushiwsPort()   
      ReportResponse response
service.RetrieveJournal1Report(request)    
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SUSHI is a Web Service which sends an XML Request
to a content provider to obtain an XML response
containing the usage report.
Content Provider
Library
?
ERM
Internet
Request
SUSHI Server
SUSHI Client
SOAP
Response
COUNTER
Usage Data
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Making it secure

• Follows Web Services conventions
• Levels
• Secure
• SSL
• Trusted
• Server can profile trusted clients
• Clients must deliver known customer ID
• Authorization
• Information providers can introduce customer
  level authorization

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SUSHI Extendable adaptable

• Built for flexibility
• Current SUSHI standard
• Handles additional reports
• Allows for systematic harvesting of usage from
  multiple institutions
• Adapts to a variety of security models

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COUNTER Looking Ahead

• Implementation of the Audit
• Tuning the COUNTER Code of Practice for Consortia
• Research the need for new metrics
• Unique Article Count
• Research the need for new reports
• Track usage by date published?
• Track usage at the item level?
• Special reports for Consortia?

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SUSHI Looking Ahead

• Address any issues from trial use of standard
• Education and awareness
• Continued cooperation between SUSHI COUNTER
• NISO/SUSHI maintains the COUNTER XML Schema
• Address Additional COUNTER Reports
• Books and Reference Works
• Address the needs for Consortia
• Promote and encourage the up-take of SUSHI!

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Summary of Resources

• Project COUNTER
• http//www.projectcounter.org
• COUNTER Auditing Requirements and Tests
• http//www.projectcounter.org/r2/R2_Appendix_E_Aud
  iting_Requirements_and_Tests.pdf
• SUSHI Web Site
• http//www.niso.org/committees/SUSHI/SUSHI_comm.ht
  ml
• JURO Journal Usage Report Online
• http//hkiug.ln.edu.hk/meetings/am2005/presentatio
  ns/9-juro.ppt1

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Thank you

• Oliver Pesch
• opesch_at_ebsco.com