Our project review meeting today was great in pinning down the final tasks to complete the project. We're finishing off the MDC back-end and refining the front-end with end-user reviews. On the final stretch with the finish line in sight!!!
 
 
For Ep2DC and Materials Data Centre we are using Codeplex and the Ms-Pl open source license.

Our projects are managed through the Microsoft Institute for High Performance Computing at Southampton. we like to make sure that our projects have some longevity, and possibility for extension throughout their life. As we work closely with Microsoft, we like to use their open source licenses to ensure that any output from us may be used by them in future initiatives. If you want to find out more about Ms-Pl and Ms-RL licenses check out - http://www.microsoft.com/resources/sharedsource/communitysourcelicensing.mspx
 
User feedback 10/01/2009
 
Actual end users have been identified as Materials researchers (first year PhD students) working within the Engineering Materials Research Group at Southampton University.  Two have just produced their first publication (ready to submit to ePrints) and accompanying tensile test data.  We are using this for our exemplar case and have chosen a standardised test as an example data set.  Both end users attended a recent project review with David Flanders.  The disproportionate feedback suggested by David on uploading data (e.g. Other alloys tested are......or here's how that data looks) were both thought to be extremely interesting by the users.  Data format issues are also being discussed with the EP2DC team.

 
 
We were delighted to welcome David Flanders from JISC to Southampton on 29 Sept for a project meeting. The discussions were very wide-ranging, largley focussing on user requirements. We ran the first ever end-to-end EP2DC demo, a major milestone for the project!
 
 
A major milestone reached today by EPrints developer Seb. We now have EPrints talking to our materials data centre services for the first time via the REST interface, including data file upload using a PUT method.
 
 
We've completed the REST endpoints for the MDC services. The EPrints team are now getting their end to talk to these services. REST for now, with SOAP/XML to follow shortly.
 
 
Here's our second use-case for automagically retrieving data used in an  EPrints publication from a remote data centre.

UC TITLE   
UC 02-accessing test data via EPrints

CONTEXT   
Accessing test data associated with a publication retrieved from EPrints.

BRIEF UC   
A publication is retrieved from EPrints that has associated test data stored at a remote data centre.  A request is issued to the owner of the data to allow access.  This request is approved, and the data set is made available as an URL to the data set at the data centre.  On accessing the data centre, the user is authenticated, and the data made available.

FULLY DRESSED UC
Scope    
EPrints data inject module.

Level    
User goal.

Primary Actor   
Scientist-interested in the test data associated with a publication that is relevant to their own work.

Stakeholders     
- Analyst-needs access to data.
- Data reuser-interested to access the data in anticipation of using the data in a different context.
 - Funder-needs to be able to audit the work performed.
 - Time-any delay conserving the data has a direct impact on data quality.
- Machine-machine operating system and application suite determines data format.

Preconditions     
A publication is retrieved from EPrints that has associated test data stored at a remote data centre.

Postconditions    
The data set is made available after a demand and authorization process.

Main Success Scenario
1. Scientist navigates to EPrints article that has corresponding data sets.
2. Scientist clicks a control (link, multi-select list, etc) to request access to data.
3. The owner of the data authorises data access.
4. An URL is made available to the external facility where the data is located.
5. The scientist navigates from EPrints to the target URL, is authenticated at the data centre, and retrieves the data.

Extensions
2a. Data access is unrestricted and approval is not required.
3a. The owner of the data refuses access.
5a. Data set at external facility cannot be located.
 
 
Here's our first use case for EP2DC. It is to allow a user to attach datasets to their academic publication when they upload it to EPrints. The data can be seamlessly sent to the Materials Data Centre via the EPrints interface.
UC title          
UC‑01—uploading test data to an EPrints repository

Context          
Capturing the test data reported in an open access publication and cross‑referencing the data to publication.

Brief UC          
Tests are performed the context of a research project according to recognised procedures.  The generated data is conserved in a standard electronic format.  The work is reported in an open access publication that is submitted to an EPrints repository together with the corresponding test data.

Fully Dressed UC
Scope                  EPrints data inject module.
Level                   User‑goal.
Primary Actor   Scientist—the person responsible for performing the test has an interest, and is perhaps even obliged to store the data. Stakeholders     
Analyst—needs access to data.                            
Data reuser—interested to access the data in anticipation of using the data in a different context.                            
Funder—needs to be able to audit the work performed.        
Time—any delay conserving the data has a direct impact on data quality.                         
Machine—machine operating system and application suite determines data format.

Preconditions    
Data set is generated according to a recognised procedure and a corresponding publication is uploaded to EPrints.

Postconditions   
Data sets are archived at a data centre and cross­‑referenced to the open access publication to which they correspond.

Main Success Scenario
1. As part of the process of entering metadata, XML data sets are uploaded.
2. Data set/s validated against a public domain schema definition.
3. Scientist selects a remote data centre to manage the data set/s.
4. Data set/s transferred to remote data centre/s.

Extensions
1a. The data is already available at a remote data centre.
1. Scientist browses remote data centre and selects data set.
2. The manuscript is cross referenced to the data set.
2a. There is no suitable schema.
1. Validation is performed against a local schema.
2b. Data fails validation.
4a. Data cannot be transferred to remote data centre.
1. Data set/s stored at the EPrints repository until such time as the remote data centre is available.
2. Data set/s transferred to remote data centre.