1 NISO Standards and Best Practices: Standardized Usage Statistics Harvesting Initiative (SUSHI)...

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NISO Standards and Best Practices:

Standardized Usage Statistics Harvesting Initiative

(SUSHI)

Oliver PeschChief Strategist, e-ResourcesEBSCO Information Services

opesch@ebsco.com

April 4, 2012

Standardized Usage Statistics Harvesting Initiative (SUSHI)

• One of the first standards initiatives to use NISO’s more agile standards development process

• Focus on solving the core problem• Allow the standard to evolve through

ongoing maintenance

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The problem…

• It’s 2005…– ERM systems are new and – COUNTER allows for standard usage

reports– Very promising for managing usage of

“e”!• But…

– Excel-based reports were not really standard

– Downloading dozens/hundreds of usage reports not really scalable 3

What happened next…

• Tim Jewell, Adam Chandler, Ted Fons and Oliver Pesch met at ALA in the summer of 2005

• The vision was to create an automated mechanism for retrieving reports

• Success of this initiative hinged on having the support of a larger organization

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Why take the problem to NISO…

• NISO is about information standards• Synergy with the ERMI/DLF work of

which this problem was an off-shoot• NISO offered the processes, the

infrastructure and the support• NISO offered the neutral ground

where interested parties could work collaboratively

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What was achieved through NISO…

• Committee formed in late 2005• Work began in early 2006• Draft standard published in 2007• Final standard approved in 2008

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The result…

• A request/response protocol that allows automated retrieval of COUNTER reports

• SUSHI has been a success– It’s central to virtually all usage

consolidation applications– Adopted by approximately 40 content

providers– SUSHI support is now a requirement for

COUNTER compliance7

Why it worked…

• NISO offered a neutral forum for collaboration and exchange of ideas

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Why it worked…

• SUSHI was established as a continual maintenance standard– A standing committee was formed and

meets monthly– Respond to feedback from the

community– If necessary, adjustments can be made

to the standard

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Why it worked…

• NISO SUSHI Standing Committee serves as maintenance agency for COUNTER XML Schema– COUNTER XML is integral to SUSHI– COUNTER recognized the need for formal

and controlled maintenance of their schema

– COUNTER sees NISO as a trusted partner

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Why it worked…

• NISO provided the infrastructure and support for ongoing maintenance and advocacy– NISO SUSHI website– SUSHI developers listserv– Hosting site for official schemas– Communication channels through NISO

Newsline and ISQ

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And the work continues…

• Promoting interoperability– Providing developer tools and FAQs

through the NISO web site– Published the SUSHI Server Test Mode

recommended practice– Working on a SUSHI Server Status Report

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And the work continues…

• Preparing for Release 4 of the COUNTER Code of Practice– Adjusting the COUNTER Schemas to

support new reports and metric types– Updating support material on the SUSHI

web site (report registries, controlled vocabularies, “what’s new” documents, FAQs, etc)

– Publishing the COUNTER SUSHI Implementation Profile

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Conclusion…

• SUSHI has been a success but needs ongoing support, maintenance and advocacy

• NISO provides the credibility, processes and infrastructure necessary for standards like SUSHI to succeed

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opesch@ebsco.com

Thank You!