Liferay Web Portal&

Science DatabaseJonathan Lang

Technology ManagerInitial Plenary Meeting of GLOBE Science Refresh Panel, 5/24/12

• PORTAL ‐ A single web‐based environment from which all of a user’s applications can run. These applications are integrated together in a consistent and systematic way.

• Liferay - is an application aggregator

• Liferay - is a content manager

• Liferay - is a collaboration tool

• Liferay - is what you want it to be

Liferay Portal

• The Liferay portal website is organized around Users (members), Organizations (schools, etc.), and Communities.

• Communities are like mini-websites with unique memberships who have common interests - the SCRC would be a good example.

• Users can be organized by Roles, and User Groups allowing for very customizable feature access. i.e. Trainers may need different functionality than Country Coordinators.

• Users have a “MyPage” web page that is their home base for many features including collaboration and data entry.

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• The Liferay portal website has an integrated content management system (CMS) allowing users to create or input content (like a teachers guide), and store it on the Liferay system for adding to publically available pages and public and private Liferay Communities.

• Workshop creation and administration is another integrated feature that will be available to users that belong to the appropriate user groups.

• Visualization is now based upon the OpenGeo suite, featuring GeoServer, and PostGIS which offers the potential for some very sophisticated functions in the future.

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• Organizations can manage their own page content, and share that content through a workflow mechanism.

• Portlets are small applications that have specific functionality like a calendar, blog or translator, that can be inserted into a Portal page.

• Many Portlets are in the initial delivery, and new ones that deliver new functionality to the GLOBE website can be created by software developers.

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• Oracle vs. Postgres Database:• Oracle = Top shelf commercial enterprise database, requires expensive annual license and has strict 

license implementation. Has own expensive version of Geo‐spatial topology and support• Postgres = Top Shelf open source enterprise database, software cost is negligible and is highly 

customizable. Supports OpenGIS, allowing for future development of unique features.

• The Liferay system as delivered prior to the Annual Meeting will use a hybrid Oracle to Postgres Database data transfer system design (ETL) to support bulk load of Science Data, and incremental updates from re‐skinned data entry (on a per protocol basis).

• Why is this, and what does this mean for users? The intent is to allow Raytheon to develop the initial Liferay integrated visualization system, without a dependency on new Data Entry forms.  

• To accomplish this, the old data entry forms have been freshened up (re‐skinned) and talk to an enhanced version of the legacy Oracle Database which then passes the data to the Postgres Database, all of which runs on new high speed servers.

Database Refactor and Data Entry

• Pros: Allows full development of a new Data entry system that accommodates modern available mobile hardware, and allows development to address previous issues that have emerged out of a long product cycle with the legacy system. 

• Cons: Initial performance will not be as fast for visualization as when the new data entry that works directly with Postgres is completed.

• Important points to consider:• All Data has undergone a QC review, validation, and verification process. Additionally, 

after bulk data is transferred from Oracle to Postgres a random sampling is taken to ensure a 99% confidence level that data integrity has been maintained.

• All legacy data that is migrated to the new system will be un‐editable to ensure data integrity, and to lower development time. However, all new data edited into the Liferay system will be able to be edited. 

• Tuning of the Databases and server environment after launch are expected as the user load increases.

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• New or changed protocol requires the following development Technical work:1. Change or develop the data entry form2. New Database design or redesign for the protocol3. Accommodate instruments/measurements into the visualization and 

metrics (business intelligence) system• This process can take 3 weeks to 3 months depending on complexity.• Lesson learned from the current refactoring of the science database:• The complexity of what appear to straightforward requirements like Solar 

Noon can introduce large amounts of code that reach deep into the science database system. 

• Simplicity is a beautiful thing. Protocols that are simple and elegant in their design allow robust implementation, and ease of maintenance. 

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