The University of Hull
eReSS methodology
The work of eReSS will have a dual focus. An initial stage, focussing on the first six months, will act as a basis for subsequent activity. The output for this initial phase will be a study reviewing both relevant standards and development activity, and identifying interoperability issues and potential solutions to be addressed in the subsequent JISC VRE 2 Programme. The secondary phase will follow up this study with ongoing activity to maintain and expand on the initial findings. In this way a continuum of up-to-date advice can be provided to the JISC VRE community over the lifetime of the study.The consortium will establish a framework under which the investigation can be carried out and specific reports produced: the consortium will then obtain additional value through iteration, revision and enrichment of this initial work for the remainder of the project’s duration. The overall requirements of the study necessitate the production of a living collaborative document. This document will then be capable of being “snapshotted” to produce outputs for appropriate conventional reporting and documentation at regular intervals as required.
Wiki
A wiki suggests itself as the most appropriate means of accomplishing the creation of this type of document. The wiki will be structured around four primary levels of interoperability: “end-user”, “technical”, “institutional” and “international”, with some initial effort placed on reviewing these terms and adapting/developing a lightweight ontology and associated vocabulary to represent these levels as the wiki’s content grows. The wiki will be structured around a core “spine” of eResearch interoperability specifications and standards content. This will be initially generated and reviewed by the project consortium from initial investigation with the VRE 1 projects and augmented by consortium knowledge and experience, together with VRE 2 projects as available. Further contributions will be solicited from the community on a voluntary basis by assigning consortium members as facilitators and reviewers for particular wiki sections: effectively an editorial board. The wiki will be open to contributions from community members approved and registered as contributors by consortium members, avoiding the problem of “wiki abuse” that bedevils Wikipedia.
A Coordinating Editor will coordinate the consortium’s editorial activities. The Editor will filter material entered into the wiki in order to generate an additional part of the wiki structure, providing content that is presented in a coherent and homogenous form suitable for print publication. This top level content will be subject to community and consortium comment and refinement, and will form the basis for written project outputs
Content development
Initial content will be augmented laterally by examination of interoperability specifications and standards emerging from other discrete areas (eLearning, Information Environment, Business). We will seek to identify ways in which these domains can be bridged using appropriate interoperability standards, for example to bring eResearch resources into learning environments and vice versa. Vertical augmentation will look to include contextual information regarding the practical use of specifications and standards in the VRE Programme (initial phase) and beyond in the wider eResearch community (secondary phase) in order to best inform VRE 2 projects in their development. In connection with the first level of interoperability, “End-user interoperability”, the impact of potential solutions on accessibility will be carefully assessed.
Of particular note is the ongoing work of the Tavistock Institute, who have undertaken formative evaluation of the VRE Programme. Outputs from this work will be incorporated (and accordingly attributed) within the wiki, with the agreement of the Institute and appropriate JISC Programme staff. A small proportion of the funding available is also being retained for theme-based workshops and commissioned input to the wiki where required, particularly in new, unanticipated or specialist areas.
It is anticipated that the direction indicated below may be modified over the period of the study in consultation with both JISC project management and in response to emergent requirements. These may arise from projects funded under phase 1 and phase 2 of the VRE Programme, from the “e-Infrastructure Roadmap for Research” commissioned by the OST e-Infrastructure Steering Committee, or elsewhere in the community. The core approach taken by the consortium, however, is considered essential to combine meeting the requirements of the study with this degree of flexibility.