NSDL Data Repository (NDR) A lens on STEM Resources Carl Lagoze Cornell Information Science NSDL Pathways Meeting August 18-19, 2005

Digital Libraries: Beyond Search and Access Build on more automated mechanisms for collection building Add value to underlying resources via: Content aggregation: combining information entities in novel ways Knowledge integration: capturing semantic relationships between information entities Information reuse: allowing secondary, tertiary products Information transformation: combining information entities with computational services collaboration and contribution: blurring the line between authors, publishers, users, experts… Resource persistence: providing seamless access to resources as they change over time.

From Collecting STEM Resources… …to creating a STEM Web

Evolving the role of NSDL Phase I – Digital Library Foundation Collecting, indexing, and providing access to quality STEM resources from the Web Phase II – Adding value Collecting and exploiting contextual information about STEM resources

NSDL Phase I – Collection Building

Phase I Metadata-Centric Approach The metadata repository is a resource for service providers. It holds information about every collection and item known to the NSDL. Services OAI-PMH Users Metadata repository OAI-PMH Collections

Characteristics of the Metadata Repository Oracle database Qualified Dublin Core Item records with collection association OAI-PMH ingest and exposure Current collection ~ 800,000 Metadata quality issues

Problems in this approach Mere access does not equate to value Reeves Impact of Media and Technology in Schools Static metadata records don’t capture changing and multiple contexts of use and applicability Recker and Wiley Designing Instruction with Learning Objects Patterns of use, informal opinions, descriptions often more useful than taxonomic classification. Collis and Strijker Technology and Human Issues in Reusing Learning

Phase II Motivation Represent (directly or by reference) multiple entities, standards taxonomies agents (user profiles and roles) curricula that are contributed by multiple parties, users as actors reuse of primary resources for secondary, tertiary produces that are inter-related to express context, applicability to standards usage in curricula usage patterns by particular groups/people and can be integrated with active services

…Towards a collaborative information environment Consumers Producers Value-added Information Experts Professionals Novices …adding value to core resources

NDR: A value-added lens over STEM resources Contextualization, Reuse, Aggregation, Persistence NSDL Data Repository (NDR) Information Foundation Networked STEM Resources

Some use cases Multi-sourced rich metadata (beyond DC) Provenance issues Annotations, comments, usage scenarios Quality control Relations to state standards, curricula Strand maps Curricula, lesson plans Instructional architect, VUE

Information Network Overlay Client Layer Network API Network Representation Layer Data Stores Document Repositories Databases Web Resources Publisher Source Layer

Translate to Technical Requirements Rich information objects Integration of local and remote mixed-genre content Dynamic information objects Integration with local and distributed services Graph-based information model Nodes are information objects Edges are relationships among those objects Access and management API exposing full functionality for programmatic access Fine granularity access management

Fedora Basics http://www.fedora.info Open source digital repository software Collaboration between Cornell University and University of Virginia Mellon funding through 2007 International user community

Fedora as the basis for NDR Aggregate local and remote resources Web services association for information reuse/refactoring Versioning Ontology-based relationships API to all functionality

NSDL Fedora Architecture

Deployment Plans Production release Phase 1 – 3rd quarter 2005 black box replacement for metadata repository Future releases API available at public level Relationship building

Applications (1) Multiple metadata formats Dublin Core as basic interoperability base Harvest richer metadata when available Multiple sourced metadata, provenance

Applications (2) Stable Identity for STEM Resources Handles (http://handle.net) for NSDL resources Access through NSDL lens (value-added wrapper) Stable citation NSDL branding Trackability, personalization Anchor for resource persistence

Applications (3) NSDL Blog Space Transitioning AskNSDL to a more interactive format Basis for resource contextualization Annotations Recommendations Aggregations

Applications (4) Instructional Architect (http://ia.usu.edu/) Aggregate and annotate networked resources for education use Capture IA-based teacher contributions in NDR for use by other teachers/students

Applications (5) NSDL OnRamp Open source application for creating content and managing its workflow Built on Fedora foundation Basis for contributions by NSDL community

Applications (6) Standards alignment and congruence Leverage Jess & Co work on standards naming Link resources to standards and standards to each other

Some open questions Scalability of this model Management Control – trusted actors Cross-ontology relationships Exposing to the user - visualization

Concluding Goals Exploit the increasing ubiquity of digital content Provide the architecture for adding value to underlying content Aggregation Reuse Integration with computational services

Questions lagoze@cs.cornell.edu