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ALEG ProjectTechnical System Implementation
Update
Kent Fitch
8 July 2000
Topics
• Introduction• Stage 1: report summary• Stage 2 : progress report
– the big picture– data model– visual design– implementation options
• Stage 3 + : timetable, what to expect
Introduction
• Kent Fitch, Project Computing Pty Ltd– applications programmer/analyst– database administrator– IBM systems & network programmer– UNIX systems & network programmer– commercial & public-domain software developer– web developer (since 1994)– not affiliated with commercial software suppliers
Stage 1 : report summary
• ALEG goals:– unify ALEG resources under a single data
model and software/hardware platform• decentralised control
• consolidated resource, but– partners’ identity/profile not subsumed
– separate, customisable views
– web based maintenance and access• as simple and powerful as possible
…continued
Stage 1 : report summary
• ALEG goals (continued)
– query & data retrieval• Z39.50
• MARC
• XML, customisable presentation
– Links to external resources• holdings (Kinetica?)
• manuscripts and archive items (RAAM?)
Stage 2 : progress report
• The big picture
• Data model
• Visual design
• Operational issues
• Implementation options
Stage 2 : progress report
• Stage 2 is the “detailed design stage”– Most important: agree on data model– Then “motherhood” issues:
• “nice” user interface (simple, fast, powerful, flexible…)• “wonderful” operational characteristics (simple, fast, powerful,
flexible, robust, cheap) – security, charging, logging...
– And finally:• evaluate implementation options against desires / requirements• implementation plan
– including data take-up
Stage 2 : the big picture
• Library systems are facing challenges– recognition that existing data models are not
adequate, especially given:• declining budgets
• growth in resources (especially electronic)
• “challenge” from web-based resource discovery systems (eg Google)
Stage 2 : the big picture
• “The web changes everything”– charging model– user interface expectations– interconnectedness of all things…
• metadata
• RDF
• Topic Maps
• XLink
– users expect everything, all the time, for free
Stage 2 : the big picture• New data models:
– Dublin Core– simple 15 element metadata set
– IFLA’s FRBR– Functional Requirements for Bibliographic Records
– INDECS– INteroperability of Data in E-Commerce systems
– CIDOC’s CRM– object oriented reference model for cultural heritage
– Harvest project ABC– common cross-realm entities (work, event, agent)
Stage 2 : the big picture
• Where does ALEG fit in all of this?– about literary resources, but not a library catalogue– emphasis on resources which help interpret and
understand:• reviews/criticisms
• setting & subject classification
• biographical material
• archival items
• linking, relationships
…continued
Stage 2 : the big picture
• Where does ALEG fit in all of this? (continued)
– central database, but decentralised control and separate, customisable views
– web based maintenance and access – linking to full text
• via SETIS & others for large works
• scanned reviews/articles (copyright issues)
• electronic journals and other resources
…continued
Stage 2 : the big picture
• Where does ALEG fit in all of this? (continued)
– integration with external electronic resources• as a user:
– holdings (Kinetica?)
– manuscripts (RAAM/son-of-RAAM?)
• as a provider– Z39.50 target
– support specialised views, deliver data in XML format
Stage 2 : the big picture
• For ALEG to be relevant
– it must be designed to integrate with and take advantage of the systems of the present and the future, not those of the past
– it must ‘play nicely’ in the ‘semantic web’
Stage 2 : the big picture
• “The systems of the present and the future”– web based– common metadata based– common data model, supporting
• unambiguous identification
• rich relationships, explicit and implied
• interoperability with other systems
Stage 2 : data model
• The data model lays the foundation of a system– worth spending a lot of time to “get it right”
• “Getting it right”– explicitly represent the objects the system has to deal
with• adding attributes later is easy
• adding concepts later is hard
– an eye to interoperability with other systems and future system and industry directions
Stage 2 : data model
• Being explicit:
“Metadata not descriptions”– identifiers, not words– relationships, not labels– events, not things
Godfrey Rust, Technical Coordinator, INDECS projectMetadata 2010, presentation to British Library Seminar, Sept 99http://www.bl.uk/information/news/2709rust.ppt
Stage 2 : data model
• The rest of the world has been doing a LOT of thinking about this too!
– IFLA FRBR– Dublin Core– INDECS– Harmony ABC– Topic Maps….
Stage 2 : data model IFLA FRBR
From:Deconstructing the Library Catalogue, Tom Delsey, National Library of CanadaPresentation to British Library Seminar, Sept 99http://www.bl.uk/information/news/2709frbr.ppt
Manifestation
Expression
Work
Item
realized through
embodied in
exemplified by
IFLA FRBR
From:Deconstructing the Library Catalogue, Tom Delsey, National Library of CanadaPresentation to British Library Seminar, Sept 99http://www.bl.uk/information/news/2709frbr.ppt
Manifestation
Expression
Work
Item
creates
realizes
produces
owns
Corporate body
Person
From:Deconstructing the Library Catalogue, Tom Delsey, National Library of CanadaPresentation to British Library Seminar, Sept 99http://www.bl.uk/information/news/2709frbr.ppt
Work
Expression
Manifestation
Item
Concept
Object
Event
Place
Corporate Body
Person
Worksubject of
subject ofsubject of
IFLA FRBR
Stage 2 : data model IFLA FRBR
From:Deconstructing the Library Catalogue, Tom Delsey, National Library of CanadaPresentation to British Library Seminar, Sept 99http://www.bl.uk/information/news/2709frbr.ppt
Work Workrelated to
successor supplement complement summarization adaptation transformation imitation whole / part
Stage 2 : data model IFLA FRBR
From:Deconstructing the Library Catalogue, Tom Delsey, National Library of CanadaPresentation to British Library Seminar, Sept 99http://www.bl.uk/information/news/2709frbr.ppt
Expression
abridgement revision translation musical arrangement whole / part
Expressionrelated to
Stage 2 : data model IFLA FRBR
From:Deconstructing the Library Catalogue, Tom Delsey, National Library of CanadaPresentation to British Library Seminar, Sept 99http://www.bl.uk/information/news/2709frbr.ppt
Manifestation
reproduction alternate whole / part
Manifestationrelated to
Stage 2 : data model IFLA FRBR
From:Deconstructing the Library Catalogue, Tom Delsey, National Library of CanadaPresentation to British Library Seminar, Sept 99http://www.bl.uk/information/news/2709frbr.ppt
Item
reconfiguration reproduction whole / part
Itemrelated to
Stage 2 : data model INDECS
From:A Common Model to Support Interoperable Metadata - Progress report on reconciling metadata requirements from the Dublin Core and INDECS/DOI Communities, D-Lib January 1999 - Bearman/Miller/Rust/Trant/Weibelhttp://www.dlib.org/dlib/january99/bearman/01bearman.html
Stage 2 : data model
• Topic Maps– “A thesaurus on steroids”– “The Global Positioning System for the Web”
– Charles Goldfarb, SGML
– ISO standard, influenced by HyTime (SGML)– a framework for defining topics, associations
scopes, occurrences and attributes (facets) separate from an underlying data base
Stage 2 : data modelTopic Maps
• Traditional approach• data bases are self contained
• others can’t ‘point in’ and make assertions and build relationships about your data
• but enter:• common markup, metadata and semantics
• universal addressability
• “the web”
• and then...• relationships and assertions can be separated from the base data
Stage 2 : data modelTopic Maps
• So what?– Many different views and organisations of the
base data can be supported– Building and maintaining topics and associations
can become a specialist task• divide and conquer• plurality of interpretations and values
– Base data can be easily reused, reinterpreted, combined with other databases
Stage 2 : data modelTopic Maps
White,PatrickVoss (novel)
Tree of Man
Flaws in the Glass
David Malouf
Voss (opera)
Fly away Peter
Stage 2 : data modelTopic Maps
Richmond
Richmond
Dubbo
Victoria
NSW
St Kilda
GeelongMelbourne
WW1
WW2
20th CenturyAcme ArmamentsFactory
Leura Katoomba
Blue Mtns
Stage 2 : data modelTopic Maps
White,Patrick
Knightsbridge
London born
Australiaemigrated
NSW
England
Voss
wrote
death
isolationsubject
Sydneysubject
Longhams
published
lived in
grief
Stage 2 : data model
Stage 2 : data model
• Proposed ALEG data model– Titles and agents:
• FRBR, as expanded/interpreted by INDECS
– Subjects:• Topic Maps
– Plus:• Award, archival item
– Minus:• FRBR Item (but what about holdings?)
Stage 2 : data model
Stage 2 : data model
Stage 2 : visual design
“The practice of simplicity”
Stage 2 : visual design
The help manual for a well designed system:
Stage 2 : visual design
The face of the most successful search engine:
Stage 2 : visual design
• Some approaches to searching:– detailed search form– refinement– “intelligent” grouping/ranking of results
• Not mutually exclusive
• Regardless of approach:– search from every screen– users don’t understand boolean searches
– (“cats and dogs”)
Stage 2 : visual designDetailed
search
form:
Stage 2 : visual designALEG Search Results for: “Patrick White”
1. White, Patrick (1912-1990) - 1200 results2. White, Patrick ([1984]-) - 3 results3. White, Patrick A.T - 2 results
+++
Stage 2 : visual designALEG Search Results for: “Patrick White”
1. White, Patrick (1912-1990) - 1200 results Biographical Details Works By - 140
Short Stories - 27Dramas - 22Novels - 13Verse - 8Criticism - 1
Subject - 256 results Reviews of Works - 1134 results2. White, Patrick ([1984]-) - 3 results3. White, Patrick A.T - 2 results
-
++
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-
Stage 2 : visual designALEG Search Results for: “Patrick White”
1. White, Patrick (1912-1990) - 1200 results Biographical Details Works By - 140
Short Stories - 27Dramas - 22Novels - 13
Voss Criticism of - 56 As subject - 23 Related Work - 2 The Tree of Man The Vivisector
-
++
++
+
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--
Stage 2 : visual designALEG Search Results for: “Patrick White”
1. White, Patrick (1912-1990) - 1200 results Biographical Details Works By - 140
Short Stories - 27Dramas - 22Novels - 13
Voss Criticism of - 56 As subject - 23 Related Work - 2 The Tree of Man The Vivisector
-
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+
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--
Search scope: White, Patrick (1912-1990)
Search term : David Malouf
CancelOK
Stage 2 : visual design• Searching for “David Malouf” within the scope of
“Patrick White (1912 - 1990)”– Would return
• references to “Voss [the Opera]”• David Malouf reviews of Patrick White works and vica versa• ...
– What about:• a review by David Malouf of Voss written under a pseudonym?• Searching for graveyard
– would it return subjects of cemeteries? (automatically?)
– how would “related” terms be shown?
Stage 2 : visual designALEG Title Maintenance
Work Title: Type: single work Form: Genre: Agent Biographical Details Works By - 140
Short Stories - 27Dramas - 22Novels - 13
Voss Criticism of - 56 As subject - 23 Related Work - 2 The Tree of Man The Vivisector
-
++
+
+
++
--
One Tree Hill+
Stage 2 : implementation options
• Three components– web front end data maintenance – web front end data retrieval– back end data storage
• including Z39.50 target
Stage 2 : implementation options
• Browser based maintenance system– it is now possible to build very sophisticated
applications in the browser– technologies:
• Document Object Model (DOM)
• Cascading Style Sheets (CSS)
• JavaScript
– Unfortunately, Netscape has not kept up• IE 5 is much more functional for web applications
• some hope that “Mozilla” will be competitive
Stage 2 : implementation options
• Browser based user access interface– choice between power and platform dependencies
• target “lowest common denominator”?
• several popular targets (Netscape 2/4, IE5)?
• As at 18 June, www.statmarket.com reports browser market share as:
– Internet Explorer 86%
– Netscape 14%
– accessibility issues are very important• making the facility available to all users
Stage 2 : implementation options
• Adapt existing proprietary library catalogue– ADFA has just implemented Voyager
• Build something– based on proprietary text or XML system
• dbTextWorks, Blue Angel, Tamino, ...
– based on “standard” tools• SQL, Apache, Java XML packages, HTML
Stage 2 : implementation options
• Adapt existing proprietary library catalogue– Pro
• because it is there• Z39.50 interface and simple web interface likely to be ready to
use
– Con• ALEG is not a library catalogue• compromises to data model, maintenance screens, user
interface, access model• hard to estimate risks and cost• vendor lock-in
Stage 2 : implementation options
• Build something based on proprietary text or XML system– Pro
• some infrastructure may be ready to use
– Con• initial software cost, plus training and maintenance
• have to build nearly everything
• vendor lock in
Stage 2 : implementation options
• Build something based on standard tools – Pro
• free tools• no vendor lock in• no constraints/complete flexibility• no “unknowns”
– Con• have to build nearly everything• requires “faith”• no vendor “support”
Stage 3 + : what to expect
• Timetable– Stage 2 to do:
• user interface principles
• access/logging principles
• evaluate implementation options, decide
• data conversion plan
• produce implementation timetable
• done by 21st July (2 weeks late)
…continued
Stage 3 + : what to expect
• Timetable (continued)
– Stage 3: 24 July - 17 October:• development of prototype
• design/implement database
• design/implement prototype user interfaces
• trial data load from AUSTLIT, BAL, Lu Rees (+ ?)
• hardware/software commissioning
• 8 September: early demo (basic maintenance, search, browse functions) for partner feedback
…continued
Stage 3 + : what to expect
• Timetable (continued)
– Stage 4: 18 October - 8 January• refinement of prototype into production system
– incorporate feedback– complete all user interface functions– add Z39.50 target, MARC extract, XML/XSL extract– add user maintenance/accounting
• complete data load
• volume and load testing
– Stage 5: 9 January - 18 January• production