1. Keith G Jeffery Director, IT & International Strategy ARCHITECTURE Utilising IT Research to Meet the Requirement for a CRIS

2. © Keith G Jeffery Director, IT & International Strategy 2 euroCRIS Seminar 200609 Structure Requirement Relevant IT Research Synthesis

3. © Keith G Jeffery Director, IT & International Strategy 3 euroCRIS Seminar 200609 The Requirement Information –Accurate, homogeneous, relevant, complete Availability –Anyhow, anyplace, anytime (Pervasive, ambient) –Integral retrieval, processing, presentation Ease of use –Intuitive –Flexible, dynamic –Variously-abled

4. © Keith G Jeffery Director, IT & International Strategy 4 euroCRIS Seminar 200609 The Requirement everyone can agree these desirable requirements…. BUT NO EXISTING SYSTEMS MEET THESE REQUIREMENTS Motherhood and Apple pie

5. © Keith G Jeffery Director, IT & International Strategy 5 euroCRIS Seminar 200609 Requirement: Information: Accurate Requires input validation –Implies structured data and constraint (logic) processing Requires context – relationship to other information Requires provenance; from whence obtained Requires temporal labelling (data values or relationships valid today may not be tomorrow) Stored data item Initial data constraint relationships provenance Temporal relevance

6. © Keith G Jeffery Director, IT & International Strategy 6 euroCRIS Seminar 200609 Requirement: Information: Homogeneous End user wishes to have information consistent in format & quality to allow processing (e.g. statistics) Requires reconciliation of heterogeneous sources to homogeneous form –Schema matching (syntax, semantics) –Conversion of the data –Clearly easier to convert all sources to one canonical form (n not n*m) –euroCRIS provides CERIF as that canonical form CRIS 1 CRIS 2 CRIS 3 CRIS 4 Query convertor /dispatcher CERIF User CERIF-CRIS environment Answer collector /convertor user query

7. © Keith G Jeffery Director, IT & International Strategy 7 euroCRIS Seminar 200609 Requirement: Information: Relevant Two components –Query expressing accurately the user requirement –Measure retrieved set against universe of interest Need –Advanced knowledge- based assistance to query formulation and optimisation –Advanced statistical / logical techniques to assess relevance of retrieved set compared with all information query Intelligent interaction Universe of information Retrieved subset Relevant information

8. © Keith G Jeffery Director, IT & International Strategy 8 euroCRIS Seminar 200609 Requirement: Information: Complete End-user wants ALL (available) information relevant to the query (recall) –Missing some information can distort results badly –Especially if statistical processing of modelling / simulation The vital information may be in the ‘missing slice’

9. © Keith G Jeffery Director, IT & International Strategy 9 euroCRIS Seminar 200609 Requirement: Availability: Any* –Anyhow, anyplace, anytime (pervasive, ambient) –Continuous network availability Effective, efficient (fast and cost- effective) Appropriate security Actual carrier technology hidden (GSM, GPRS, Wi-Max, LAN…) Appropriate services (registration, preferences, synchronisation…

10. © Keith G Jeffery Director, IT & International Strategy 10 euroCRIS Seminar 200609 Requirement: Availability: Integral Integral retrieval, processing, presentation –Various user interfaces (multimedia, multimodal) expressed via: Commands Menus Icons –consistently –‘chain of processing’ with options and dynamic reconfiguration commandsmenusicons Consistent commands Chain of processing Some parallel

11. © Keith G Jeffery Director, IT & International Strategy 11 euroCRIS Seminar 200609 Requirement: Ease of Use: Intuitive User interface is as the user expects –Consistent syntax and semantics Whether textual, graphical, audio or haptic –Feedback to assist / guide user Warnings Suggestions But configurable by user (from much to no feedback)

12. © Keith G Jeffery Director, IT & International Strategy 12 euroCRIS Seminar 200609 Requirement: Ease of Use: Flexible and Dynamic With user requirement changes –Change of query –Additional sub-query –Different processing With quality of information –Supply metadata and warnings / advice –Adjust processing With availability of information (alerts) –Offer of additional or changed information query

13. © Keith G Jeffery Director, IT & International Strategy 13 euroCRIS Seminar 200609 Requirement: Ease of Use: Variously-Abled Inclusive: any user With individual abilities –Disabled –Temporarily disabled e.g. driving car Or preferences in how to interact with the system W3C WAIS standard

14. © Keith G Jeffery Director, IT & International Strategy 14 euroCRIS Seminar 200609 Requirements: Synthesis From user frustration To easy utilisation of systems assisted by intelligence

15. © Keith G Jeffery Director, IT & International Strategy 15 euroCRIS Seminar 200609 Structure Requirement Relevant IT Research Synthesis

16. © Keith G Jeffery Director, IT & International Strategy 16 euroCRIS Seminar 200609 Relevant IT Research Data, information and knowledge –Syntax, semantics, logic, graph theory Query –Syntax, semantics, logic, graph theory, domain ontologies User interface –Syntax, semantics, logic, graph theory, domain ontologies, cognitive psychology Overall –GRIDs and ambient ICT Implying invisible, usable, self* resources

17. © Keith G Jeffery Director, IT & International Strategy 17 euroCRIS Seminar 200609 Relevant IT Research Data, information and knowledge –Syntax, semantics, logic, graph theory Query –Syntax, semantics, logic, graph theory, domain ontologies User interface –Syntax, semantics, logic, graph theory, domain ontologies, cognitive psychology Overall –GRIDs and ambient ICT Implying invisible, usable, self* resources

18. © Keith G Jeffery Director, IT & International Strategy 18 euroCRIS Seminar 200609 Relevant IT Research: Accuracy: Validation Objective: to have the data as accurate as possible Any new piece of data –Is it in correct form and type (schema) –Is its value ‘reasonable’ Within range Exists in a controlled list –Is its value ‘reasonable’ compared with values of other data elements If gender = M, retirement age >=65 –~ 23 different kinds of constraints to be applied

19. © Keith G Jeffery Director, IT & International Strategy 19 euroCRIS Seminar 200609 Relevant IT Research: Accuracy: Validation Use of logic processing (constraints) –demands structured information Use of temporal logic (for temporal relevance) –demands structured information Use of semantic relations (temporal, role) for provenance –demands structured information

20. © Keith G Jeffery Director, IT & International Strategy 20 euroCRIS Seminar 200609 Note All this requires accurate structured data Relevant IT Research: Accuracy: Query Objective: the query reflects exactly the user intent ‘what I mean not what I say’ Any query –Uses correct entity / attribute names (schema) –Uses ‘reasonable’ values Requires knowledge-based assist –Domain ontology / ontologies –Inference engine

21. © Keith G Jeffery Director, IT & International Strategy 21 euroCRIS Seminar 200609 Relevant IT Research: Availability: Networking Continuously improving availability of wireless networking –Seamless within one carrier technology –Seamless across carrier technologies Security –Identification / authentication of user Single sign on, biometrics –Authorisation of user trust –Encryption of message

22. © Keith G Jeffery Director, IT & International Strategy 22 euroCRIS Seminar 200609 Relevant IT Research: Availability: Devices Handheld PC now becoming common Cheaper, faster processor, larger storage, lighter, more capability –PC, phone, entertainment (audio, video) –Move to nanotechnologies, bio-inspired computing, cognitive technologies etc Leads to new modes of working (link to next section)

23. © Keith G Jeffery Director, IT & International Strategy 23 euroCRIS Seminar 200609 Relevant IT Research: Ease of Use: Human Factors / Interaction Use power of device and intelligence of system to interact more meaningfully with user (and between users) Cognitive psychology Dialogue structure (whether textual, graphical etc) Gesture / haptic

24. © Keith G Jeffery Director, IT & International Strategy 24 euroCRIS Seminar 200609 And we should intercept the future Beyond the Horizon See brochure (!) “Foreseeing beyond the horizon — for technology and business opportunities — is any Director's strategic responsibility. Engaging in future emerging technology research will create services supported by skilled staff for deployment within (1) my own organisation performing leading edge R&D and (2) commercially in industry.” Keith G. Jeffery, Director IT, CCLRC, UK

25. © Keith G Jeffery Director, IT & International Strategy 25 euroCRIS Seminar 200609 Structure Requirement Relevant IT Research Synthesis

26. © Keith G Jeffery Director, IT & International Strategy 26 euroCRIS Seminar 200609 Synthesis The end-user requirement can only be satisfied by a well-designed architecture –The assumed substructure is a quality network environment –The basis is quality structured information –Above is knowledge-assisted query processing to assist the end-user Including push technology –At the top is a flexible, dynamic user interface

27. © Keith G Jeffery Director, IT & International Strategy 27 euroCRIS Seminar 200609 The GRIDs Architecture Knowledge Layer Information LayerComputation / Data Layer Data to Knowledge Control

28. © Keith G Jeffery Director, IT & International Strategy 28 euroCRIS Seminar 200609 Synthesis The GRIDs environment supplies the architecture –Invisible infrastructure (network, processors, storage) –Knowledge-based technology as services SOKU: service-oriented knowledge utility –Open and flexible to new devices, services, resources

29. © Keith G Jeffery Director, IT & International Strategy 29 euroCRIS Seminar 200609 A POSSIBLE ARCHITECTURE U:USER S:SOURCE R:RESOURCE Rm:Resource Metadata Ra:Resource Agent Ua:User Agent Um:User Metadata Sm:Source Metadata Sa:Source Agent brokers The GRIDs Environment

30. © Keith G Jeffery Director, IT & International Strategy 30 euroCRIS Seminar 200609 Overall : The Way Forward SCIENTIFIC DATASETS Data Information Knowledge PUBLICATIONS Data Information Knowledge CRIS Management of Research

31. © Keith G Jeffery Director, IT & International Strategy 31 euroCRIS Seminar 200609 PUBLICATIONS Data Information Knowledge Overall : The Way Forward Digital Curation Facility SCIENTIFIC DATASETS Data Information Knowledge CRIS Management of Research (CERIF) Portal with knowledge-assisted user interface

32. © Keith G Jeffery Director, IT & International Strategy 32 euroCRIS Seminar 200609 Overall : The Way Forward Digital Curation Facility SCIENTIFIC DATASETS Data Information Knowledge PUBLICATIONS Data Information Knowledge metadata Portal with knowledge-assisted user interface

33. © Keith G Jeffery Director, IT & International Strategy 33 euroCRIS Seminar 200609 Overall : The Way Forward Digital Curation Facility SCIENTIFIC DATASETS Data Information Knowledge PUBLICATIONS Data Information Knowledge metadata publish validate Portal with knowledge-assisted user interface

34. © Keith G Jeffery Director, IT & International Strategy 34 euroCRIS Seminar 200609 Overall : The Way Forward Digital Curation Facility SCIENTIFIC DATASETS Data Information Knowledge PUBLICATIONS Data Information Knowledge metadata publish validate GRIDs Portal with knowledge-assisted user interface Ambient, Pervasive Access

35. © Keith G Jeffery Director, IT & International Strategy 35 euroCRIS Seminar 200609 Overall : The Way Forward Portal with knowledge-assisted user interface Digital Curation Facility SCIENTIFIC DATASETS Data Information Knowledge PUBLICATIONS Data Information Knowledge metadata publish validate GRIDs Ambient, Pervasive Access

36. © Keith G Jeffery Director, IT & International Strategy 36 euroCRIS Seminar 200609 Overall : The Way Forward Portal with knowledge-assisted user interface Digital Curation Facility SCIENTIFIC DATASETS Data Information Knowledge PUBLICATIONS Data Information Knowledge metadata publish validate GRIDs Ambient, Pervasive Access

37. © Keith G Jeffery Director, IT & International Strategy 37 euroCRIS Seminar 200609 Overall : The Way Forward Portal with knowledge-assisted user interface Digital Curation Facility SCIENTIFIC DATASETS Data Information Knowledge PUBLICATIONS Data Information Knowledge metadata publish validate GRIDs Ambient, Pervasive Access

38. © Keith G Jeffery Director, IT & International Strategy 38 euroCRIS Seminar 200609 Three Steps to Nirvana Complete Process ICT Support Metadata and Data Exchange Standards Workflow on the GRIDs Surface The Perfect CRIS

39. © Keith G Jeffery Director, IT & International Strategy 39 euroCRIS Seminar 200609 Contact Prof Keith G Jeffery Director IT and International Strategy CCLRC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory keith.g.jeffery@rl.ac.uk President euroCRIS www.eurocris.orgwww.eurocris.org President ERCIM www.ercim.orgwww.ercim.org