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EuroCRIS Membership meeting, Helsinki May 2007

Research Expertise DatabaseResearch Expertise Database

Anna ClementsAnna ClementsProject Manager, Business ImprovementsProject Manager, Business Improvements

akc@st-andrews.ac.uk01334 46276101334 462761

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EuroCRIS Membership meeting, Helsinki May 2007

OverviewOverview

• Research Expertise database setup in Nov 2002 to provide single data source

• Covers all academic staff and other research-active staff

• Key role in RAE2008 data collection and collection …

• … but not just for RAE

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EuroCRIS Membership meeting, Helsinki May 2007

Research Expertise Database - Overview

Research Expertise

Human Resources

Name, contact, position details

Finance

Research Student Funding

RGFO

Projects (Research Grants,

Research Assistants)

Registry

Research Student details

INFrom warehouse

Web Interface

Batch import of publications

LIS Digital Research Repository (DRR)

Metadata and full-text

RES

Patents

Individual Web Interface

Research data incl publications,

interests, experience and esteem Press and other Media – find an

Expert

Reseachers – internal and external – find collaborators

School Web pages – Mod Langs, Biology,

Chemistry

External research databases (eg COS)

RAE(Publications,

Esteem, + individual data checking)

From individual Fr

om th

ird p

arty

Used by ...

University/School Managers –

Research strategy

Dir

ect

Lin

k

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EuroCRIS Membership meeting, Helsinki May 2007

Current StatisticsCurrent Statistics

• Expertise details for 700 individuals

• 10000 + publications (1997 – current day)

• 7500 + esteem indicators, former positions, qualifications, honours and awards etc

• Live link to 3300 + projects

• Live link to 2500 + research students

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Key BenefitsKey Benefits

• Reduce (eliminate?) duplication of effort in collecting and maintaining the data

• One-stop view of research expertise and activity – bringing data from different sources together

• Data held in central systems is transparent and therefore Users have confidence in data being complete, correct and current

• Public view of research expertise at St Andrews

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EuroCRIS Membership meeting, Helsinki May 2007

More on the Link …More on the Link …

Physical infrastructure• dSpace installation hosted by University of Edinburgh• Research Expertise (Oracle database) at University of St Andrews

User interface• Must be fast and simple for users (academics …)• Single interface to enter metadata and upload full-text

Technical requirements• Either system (Research Expertise or Repository) will continue to function without the

other eg in event of one system being down• Flexibility to switch to different Repository software/database with limited re-coding• No changes required to the existing standalone web-based Repository interface (dSpace)

because of the need to interface with ResExp, therefore keeping upgrade path clear

• => The basic principle => ResExp use web services which expose certain data and processes within the Repository database and software

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EuroCRIS Membership meeting, Helsinki May 2007

Two simple web services …Two simple web services …

Insert into DRR Retrieve handle from DR

ResExp

DRR

Metadata XMLFile ListFilesResExp_IDCollectionsUsernameTimestamp

ResExp_IDDRR_IDUsernameTimestamporResExp_ID Error MessageUsernameTimestamp

ResExp

DRR

DRR_IDUsernameTimestamp

DRR_IDHandleUsernameTimestamporDRR_IDError MessageUsernameTimestamp

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Now for the demo …