Interoperability Requirements for a Sustainable Component to Support Management and Sharing of...

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Platforms such as YouTube, Flickr or Delicious that allow users to manage and share different kinds of digital resources belong to the most popular applications in what is usually subsumed under the umbrella term Web 2.0. In the context of PLEs, the ability to manage and sharedigital resources used within a learning process is also one of the most important features.This paper gives a coarse overview of key aspects to consider when aiming toprovide a sustainable, adaptable component for resource management and sharing that canbe integrated into different, heterogeneous digital environments.The ALOE\footnote{see http://aloe-project.de} system will be presented as anexample for the realisation of a respective component meeting the presented demands.

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EFEPLE 2011

Interoperability Requirements for a Sustainable Component to Support

Management and Sharing of Digital ResourcesX X XMartin Memmel

Knowledge Management GroupDFKI GmbH

martin.memmel@dfki.de

EFEPLE 2011

Martin MemmelKnowledge Management Group

DFKI GmbHmartin.memmel@dfki.de

How we've built an open, generic and adaptable resource sharing environment

that survived(implications for PLEs: up to you!)

documents(pdf, odt, odp, sxw, doc, ppt, …)

web pages

videos(avi, mpeg, mov, …)

images (bmp, gif, jpg, png, tif, …)

audio(aac, mp3, …)

Key problems

● Heterogeneous tools for specific resource types● Limited possibilites to integrate with other tools● Only basic means to organise contributions● Not instantiable● No means to adapt to specific scenarios● Support for (future) scenarios within PLEs?

How to ensure sustainability?

A comprehensive approach is needed

● Contribute arbitrary resources● Manage arbitrary resources● Share arbitrary resources● Exchange of information!● Adaptable for different scenarios!

Interoperability

Interoperability is the ability of two or more systems or components to exchange information and to use the information that has been exchanged.

[IEEE, 1991]

Where to consider interoperability?

● Selection of supported application scenarios● Resource types to be supported● Metadata to be used● Interfaces offered to users and other systems

Supported Application Scenarios

[http://lsdis.cs.uga.edu/projects/glycomics/report/Report2006.html]

Resources

documents(pdf, odt, odp, sxw, doc, ppt, …)

web pages

videos(avi, mpeg, mov, …)

images (bmp, gif, jpg, png, tif, …)

audio(aac, mp3, …)

Incorporation of resources

● Contribution of new / not yet accessible resources ● Integration of existing resources

– Maintenance issues– Memory requirements– Legal concerns

→ Repository and Refactory!

Metadata

‘Die Bedeutung eines Wortes ist sein Gebrauch in der Sprache’(‘The meaning of a word is its use in the language’)

Transferred into the world of (digital) resources:

‘The meaning of a resource is its use in the community’

Wittgenstein

Subjectivity and diversity

● No one-size-fits-all solutions● Scenario-dependent metadata generation● Human generated metadata● Incorporation of potentially any kind of metadata

Metadata interoperability

● Using standards● Extensibility● Modularity● Refinements● Multilingualism● Machine-processability

Interfaces

Interfaces – Access by systems

● Low technical barriers for system usage– Technical environments– Minimal installation efforts

● Low conceptual barriers for system usage● Access to potentially any data and functionalities

– Complex functionalities, mash-ups

User interfaces

● Offering access to data / functionalities in usual contexts and applications

– Services, Widgets, …● Multilinguality● Adaptability

Sample infrastructure: ALOE...how did it change and survive?

http://aloe-project.de

What is ALOE?

ALOE is a generic infrastructure that allows ● supporting access to digital resources by means of

social media technologies● integrating social media technologies also in

existing, especially traditional environments with no or only few interaction possibilities

http://aloe-project.de/AloeView

Information Exchange,Interfaces

Web Service API

Alternative: ALOE-XML

<resource>

<visibility>public</visibility>

<title>Skyscrapers of glass and the curtain wall</title>

<license></license>

<description>Skyscrapers of glass and the curtain wall</description>

<uri>http://winds-app.fit.fraunhofer.de/cgi-bin/WebObjects/windsoai.woa/wa/showContent?id=11647.lo</uri>

<tags>skyscrapers curtain_wall Mies_van_der_Rohe winds mace </tags>

<sharetogroups>

<group>tmp</group>

</sharetogroups>

</resource>

Feeds

Information Mails

OAI Target

Bookmark Export

CAM Feedlet

Embedded Metadata

Widgets

Mobile Frontend

Basic Metadata [1]

Individual Metadata [1..∞]

Classification [0..∞]

Associated Metadata [0..∞]

Collection [0..∞]

Group [0..∞]

Usage Metadata [1]

Rating [0..∞]

Comment [0..∞]

Tag [0..∞]

ALOE Resource Metadata

Components, System Architecture

ALOE – Used Technologies

● Implemented in Java (1.5), deployed in the Apache Tomcat (6.0) servlet container

● GUI: Realized with JSP using J2EE Design Patterns● Web Service Interface: Functionalities are

accessible via a SOAP/REST API realized with Apache Axis2

● Storage of resources and metadata in a MySQL data base (5.0)

Evolvability, Adaptability

Evolvability for artifacts is the capacity of the systems, organizations and networks producing them to give rise to adaptive variants that flexibly meet changing requirements over the course of long-term change.

[Nehaniv et al., 2006]

Requirements? Environments?

● What's the ecosystem?● What does surviving mean?

– Active users, developers● In which way are resources finite?

– Developers, time, infrastructure

http://openeer.dfki.de

http://icdar09.dfki.uni-kl.de

https://mindpool.dfki.de

http://aloe-cmcm.dfki.uni-kl.de

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http://www.dfki.de/radar

Conclusions

● Realise a concrete solution – but always try to be as generic as possible

● Try to be independent● Be open, don't build another silo● Think carefully about what is your core, and what are your

branch-specific adaptations● Build tools for setup and deployment● Take your time for refactoring● Don't trust your memory, write down stuff

ALOE: http://aloe-project.deMACE: http://www.mace-project.eu

RADAR: http://www.dfki.de/radar

mailto: memmel@dfki.de

Thanks for listening!

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