myExperiment

1
www.myexperiment.org
David De Roure Carole Goble
2
myExperiment.org is
myExperiment.org is...

• Facebook for Scientists...but different to
  Facebook!
• A community social network
• A federated repository
• A gateway to other publishing environments
• A platform for launching workflows
• Started March 2007
• Closed beta since July 2007
• Open beta November 2007
• Go to www.myexperiment.org to access publicly
  available content or create an account

959 registered users (1429 unique IP visits in
last month), 82 groups, 297 workflows
3
For Developers

• All the myExperiment services are accessible
  through simple RESTful programming interfaces
• use your existing environment and augment it with
  myExperiment functionality
• build entirely new interfaces and functionality
  mashups
• The open source Web 2.0 Software that powers the
  myexperiment.org web site is downloadable so you
  can run your own myExperiment perhaps for your
  own lab or projects
• Go to wiki.myexperiment.org for information about
  our Developer Community

4
Motivation social infrastructure

• Paul writes workflows for identifying biological
  pathways implicated in resistance to
  Trypanosomiasis in cattle
• Paul meets Jo. Jo is investigating Whipworm in
  mouse.
• Jo reuses one of Pauls workflow without change.
• Jo identifies the biological pathways involved in
  sex dependence in the mouse model, believed to be
  involved in the ability of mice to expel the
  parasite.
• Previously a manual two year study by Jo had
  failed to do this.

5
myExperiment.org is
myExperiment Features

• User Profiles
• Groups
• Friends
• Resource Sharing
• Tags
• Workflows
• Files
• Packs
• Credits and Attributions
• Messaging
• News Feeds
• RESTful API

6
Workflows
7
Groups
8
Packs

• Packs allow you to collect different items
  together, like you might with a "wish list" or
  "shopping basket". You do this by linking to
  different things
• You can link to internal things (such as
  workflows, files and even other packs) as well as
  link to things outside of myExperiment
• Your packs can then be shared, tagged, discovered
  and discussed easily on myExperiment

9
Ownership and Attribution
The most important aspect of myExperiment Designed
by scientists
10
ORE
For Developers
PacksAPI
HTML
XML
Social NetAPI
Ownership Sharing API
Workflow API
SearchAPI
TAG API
users
tags
blobs
groups
workflows
EPrints DSpace Fedora S3 SRB
friendships
descriptions

Enactor API
Enactor
11
Mashups
12
Google Gadgets
Bringing myExperiment to the iGoogle user
13
Taverna Plugin
Bringing myExperiment to the Taverna user
14
See wiki.myexperiment.org for more information
15
Six Principles of Software Design to Empower
Scientists

• Fit in, Dont Force Change
• Jam today and more jam tomorrow
• Just in Time and Just Enough
• Act Local, think Global
• Enable Users to Add Value
• Design for Network Effects

• Keep your Friends Close
• Embed
• Keep Sight of the Bigger Picture
• Favours will be in your Favour
• Know your users
• Expect and Anticipate Change

De Roure, D. and Goble, C. (2009) Six Principles
of Software Design to Empower Scientists. IEEE
Software (in press)
16
Summary

• myExperiment provides social infrastructure it
  facilitates sharing
• Go to www.myexperiment.org to access workflows
  and create an account
• Special support for Taverna workflows
• Packs enable items to be collected together,
  shared and tagged
• RESTful API for developing other interfaces and
  integration
• Source code (BSD licence) can be downloaded from
  RubyForge
• See wiki.myexperiment.org for more information

17

• Contact
• David De Roure
• dder_at_ecs.soton.ac.uk
• Carole Goble
• carole.goble_at_manchester.ac.uk
• Thanks
• The myGrid FamilyNational Centre for e-Social
  Science