Technical basis

The monitoring tool is based on the existing current research information system DSpace-CRIS. In the project, we are expanding the content of the system and working together with 4Science, the distributors of the DSpace-CRIS software, on its further development.

The current research information system DSpace-CRIS, the starting point for the development of the monitoring tool, is written in Java and implemented in the frontend with Angular.

DSpace-CRIS is open source software. This means that the tool can be tested at a low level, introduced and flexibly adapted to the requirements of different users and new findings.  

The DSpace-CRIS software tool is used to record researchers, institutions, publications and projects. Therefore, an extension of the entities and functions targeted in the SynSICRIS project is quite possible.

DSpace-CRIS already offers:

• convenient search
• role and visibility management
• interfaces for importing publication metadata
• citation data and altmetrics
• Linking with tools such as GoogleScholar
• Open Access support for high legal security via Sherpa/RoMEO
• Capture of research data via a Ckan interface
• Collection of geo-localised usage data (views, downloads)
• Various export functions and data maintenance functions (e.g. deduplication)
• flexible data evaluation via interfaces with various analysis tools (e.g. kibana)

The DSpace repository is the most widely used open source repository in the world, with over 2,000 organisations using it. Since its development began in 2009, 80 installations of DSpace-CRIS have been in use worldwide so far, with a strong upward trend (examples: https://wiki.duraspace.org/display/DSPACECRIS/DSpace-CRIS+Users).

The large open source development community of DSpace/ DSpace-CRIS and the professional corporate structure of the developers guarantees a high level of security in support.

More information:
https://wiki.duraspace.org/display/DSPACECRIS/DSpace-CRIS+Home
https://wiki.duraspace.org/display/DSPACECRIS/Features

For technical focus:
https://wiki.duraspace.org/display/DSPACECRIS/Introduction

The SynSICRIS tool is basically divided into three components:

• Basic installation of the current research information system (DSpace-CRIS) and connection to the Internet through an Apache Tomcat server.
• Database (PostgreSQL), which stores and provides the data of the research information system.
• Database with the same content for carrying out statistical analyses. For this, the application Apache Solr is used, which is classically applied for full text search, facet search, clustering, etc..

In addition, various interfaces to external services will be set up to make it easier for user groups to enter data. Data that are already available in other systems can thus be made available in a selection.

The monitoring tool will initially be installed at research funding organisations. For example, interfaces to easy-online, profi and the European Patent Office are being sought for an initial installation.