Jim Farmer instructional media + magic, inc. Sustainability of Virtual Research Environment Software Knowledge Exchange Workshop Aston University, Birmingham UK 17-18 November 2011 Jim Farmer instructional media + magic, inc.
Pragmatic definition Sustainability of virtual research environments—software, IC infrastructure, and processes—is when the community of users, including “free loaders” if open source, are willing to provide funding and/or support to maintain and advance the VRE.
The sustainability challenge Geoffrey A. Moore , 1991
Some are sustainable Product Organization Business Model Linux Linux Foundation Firm contributions Eclipse Eclipse Foundation (300+) Commercial contributions SugarCRM SugarCRM Inc. Income from service Kuali Financials and Student Kuali Foundation Contributions of capital and effort + firms uPortal JA-SIG Supporting firms + contributions of effort Moodle Moodle Foundation Income - ercentage of partner revenue Sakai CLE Sakai Foundation Membership fees + contributed effort (and capital)
Context: Research to products and services
Context of VREs Basic Research Applied Research Metric Publications Patents Distribution of results Open innovation Restricted distribution Decision-maker Researcher Manager Community Global Project only Knowledge exchange Global research community
VREs helping researchers Communications, collaboration, and distribution of knowledge Discipline-specific tools (e.g.myExperiment) Automating data acquisition (e.g. University of Reading anthropology Improved access to knowledge from knowledge media (commercially called search interface, search middleware, search engines) Automating administration From JISC eRess, JA-SIG UK, ESUP, KM Conference 2011
Virtual Research Environment From KE Copenhagen Virtual Research Environment Project specific Discipline community Collaboration, communication, security and infrastructure Relevant discipline interfaces, data standards Tools, preferably interoperable; data standards Extended portal or portlet-compliant application (e.g. Sakai)
Observations from eRess Programmers will use standards If they know they exist If they believe they are relevant If finding them does not take more than 3 to 8 hours. (192 relevant standards documents growing 4 per week) Standards yield interoperability Commonality in programming environment and style encourages interoperability (e.g. Eclipse)
Policy issues and opportunities Current results v investment in the future Budget for research v knowledge acquisition, distribution and facilitating use Sustainability v Project focus Business model and plan including targets Communication plan Standards or recommendations by policy For software development For data formats and metadata Dissemination of current VRE and other relevant work
Jim Farmer JXF [at] immagic . com JXF [at] georgetown . edu The End Jim Farmer JXF [at] immagic . com JXF [at] georgetown . edu
The flow of research knowledge Basic Research Industrial Research Products and Services University A Business V Business X University B Business Y University C Business Z Time
Policy analysis and its use Universities “Think tanks” Advocacy Non-profit New knowledge Influence decisions Advocate positions
Technology adoption curve
Additional reading Examples of open source business models: “Open-source software: in search of a business model,” Intellectual Property Magazine, Informa, October 2011 (subscription required or available, by agreement, at www.immagic.com/eLibrary/ARCHIVES/GENERAL/IMM/I111001F.pdf). Sustainability: Planning for sustainability, OSS Watch, University of Oxford http://www.oss-watch.ac.uk/resources/planningsustainability.xml
Additional reading Open source/community source Open Source 2010: Reflections on 2007, Brad Wheeler, EDUCAUSE Review, January/February 2007, ERM01712.