DNER Architectural issues

1
DNER Architectural issues

• Andy Powell
• UKOLN, University of Bath
• a.powell_at_ukoln.ac.uk
• www.ukoln.ac.uk
• DNER Team Meeting, KCL, Nov 2000

UKOLN is funded by Resource The Council for
Museums, Archives and Libraries, the Joint
Information Systems Committee (JISC) of the
Higher and Further Education Funding Councils, as
well as by project funding from the JISC and the
European Union. UKOLN also receives support from
the University of Bath where it is based.
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DNER Collections

• JISC funds content in the form of collections
• collections of stuff (text, images, data, ...)
• collections of metadata about stuff (e.g subject
  gateways Internet Resource Catalogues)
• Note also need to remember physical collections
  (libraries, museums, ...) and services - but
  not today

3
Currently...
Content
End-user
4
Currently...
Content
Web
Web
Web
Web
Web
End-user
Authentication (Athens)
5
Currently...
Content
Web
Web
Web
Web
Web
User-profiling
Collection description
End-user
Authentication (Athens)
6
Future...
Content
Web
Web
Web
Web
Web
Collection description
User-profiling
End-user
Authentication (Athens)
7
Future...
Content
Subject portal or institutional portal or MLE or
...
Collection description
Portal
User-profiling
End-user
Authentication (Athens)
8
Future...
Content
Web
Collection description
Portal or MLE or ...
User-profiling
End-user
Authentication (Athens)
9
Sharing content

• how do portals and content servers interact?
• HTTP
• Z39.50 - Bath Profile
• OAI - Open Archive Initiative
• RSS - Rich Site Summary (RDF Site Summary)

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Z39.50 - Bath Profile
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Open Archives Initiative

• OAI Metadata Harvesting Framework
• simple mechanism for sharing metadata records
• records shared over HTTP...
• ... as XML
• client can ask metadata server for
• all records
• all records modified in last n days
• info about databases, formats, etc.
• See lthttp//www.openarchives.org/gt

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RSS

• XML application for syndicated news feeds
• pointers and simple descriptions of news items
  (not the items themselves)
• being transitioned to more generic RDF/XML
  application (RSS 1.0)
• no querying - just regular gathering of RSS
  file
• http//www.ukoln.ac.uk/metadata/rssxpress/

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Future... Z, OAI, RSS
Content
RSS
OAI
HTTP
Z39.50
Collection description
Portal or MLE or ...
User-profiling
End-user
HTTP
Authentication (Athens)
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Sharing Middleware services

• how do portals and content services interact
  with middleware services?
• HTTP/XML
• LDAP
• Z39.50(?)
• directory-like services... So LDAP?
• Collection description services
• descriptions based on RSLP collection description
  schema?
• RDF schema for collections and locations

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Future... Z, OAI, RSS
Content
RSS
OAI
HTTP
Z39.50
Collection description
Portal or MLE or ...
LDAP
User-profiling
End-user
HTTP
Local store of gathered records
Authentication (Athens)
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Future... Z, OAI, RSS
Content
RSS
OAI
HTTP
Z39.50
Collection description
Portal or MLE or ...
LDAP
User-profiling
End-user
HTTP
Authentication (Athens)
17
Content identification

• need to persistently identify stuff
• enable lecturers to embed it into learning
  resources
• enable students to embed it into multimedia
  essays
• enable people to cite it
• ...so, lets look at a current example (from
  VADS)

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Content example
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Content example - the URL
http//vads.ahds.ac.uk/ixbin/hixclient?_IXDB_vads
_IXSPFX_t_MREF_3392_IXSR_ea1_IXSP_0_IXSS_
25242brec2bvads2band2bseaside2band2b2528
2528Basic2bDesign2bCollection2bin2btitle_vads_
collection25292bor2b2528Halliwell2bCollection
2bin2btitle_vads_collection25292bor2b2528Imp
erial2bWar2bMuseum2bConcise2bArt2bCollection
2bin2btitle_vads_collection25292bor2b2528Lond
on2bCollege2bof2bFashion2bCollege2bArchive2b
in2btitle_vads_collection252925292bsort2btitl
e2b3d252e26_IXDB_3dvads_IXRECNUM3392_IXASE
ARCHSUBMIT-BUTTONDISPLAY
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Be nicer if...

• ...content URL was something like
• http//vads.ahds.ac.uk/id137234-849783
• http//dx.doi.org/10.3456/1096493

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Identifiers

• what is identified...?
• the resource (image, text, map, data, sound, ...)
• the resource in context (e.g. embedded into VADS
  page)
• metadata about the resource (e.g. from subject
  gateway)

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Identifiers

• could use URLs, PURLs, DOIs, ... but...
• URLs, locators not identifiers
• DOIs and PURLs resolved centrally
• all resolve to same thing irrespective of
  who/where the user is. E.g.
• 10.1045/october2000-granger always resolves to US
  version even though D-Lib mirrored in UK
• http//purl.org/dc always resolves to US version
  even though DC pages mirrored in UK
• DOI and PURL resolved thru US resolver

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Identifiers

• Need some way to encode
• identifier
• citation
• in such a way that resolution happens in the
  context of
• location of the end-user
• access rights of end-user
• this can be achieved with the OpenURL and SFX

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OpenURL

• OpenURL - way to encode citation for a resource
• OpenURL BaseURL Description
• BaseURL http//sfx.bath.ac.uk/sfxmenu
• Description Origin ObjectDescription
• ObjectDescription is either a global identifier
  (e.g. A DOI) or a description (a citation) or a
  local identifier of some kind
• http//sfx.bath.ac.uk/sfxmenu?genrebookisbn1234
  -5678

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OpenURL - example

• http//sfx.bath.ac.uk/sfxmenu?genrebookisbn1234
  -5678

BaseURL
Description
OpenURL
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OpenURL - resolution

• http//sfx.bath.ac.uk/sfxmenu?genrebookisbn1234
  -5678
• ...resolved thru SFX
• SFX server
• ?? SFX owned by Exlibris
• see lthttp//www.sfxit.com/gt for info about SFX
  and OpenURL

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DNER - OpenURL, SFX
Content
SFX
Collection description
User-profiling
End-user
Authentication (Athens)