Objectives

The objective of this work package is to study the feasibility of a generic, standard and flexible information system for managing the workflow from the scientific proposal to the publication in order to cope with the substantial increase expected in the number of users and their requirements in terms of experiment proposal management, sample tracking, metadata catalogue management and new possible rules of access. The feasibility study will include discussions with most of the national synchrotron radiation (SR) laboratories to assess the feasibility of a European wide user data base of photon and neutron scientists and to analyse the potential for software development collaborations. In the unlikely case that the discussions with national SR laboratories show that there is no interest for a common software development, the ESRF will be the only case study. The key point of this work package is to achieve a document corresponding to the specifications of the future SMIS system necessary for the ESRF Upgrade Programme.

The study will

- Report on the existing software packages and their functionalities at the ESRF and national SR laboratories.

- Evaluate suitability for the ESRF.

- Report on tools, technologies and methods used.

- Produce the specification of a generic, standard and flexible information system for the scientific user community. The document will describe in detail the implementation of such software at the ESRF (in possible collaboration with other institutes).

This work package has strong links to WP7 which concerns a feasibility study on a single point of entry system for the ESRF and ILL User Communities.

Description of work

T9.1 - Inventory of existing software components and functions currently implemented at ESRF.

T9.2 - Analysis of existing software components at mate institutes.

T9.3 - Brainstorming workshop with technical experts to determine tools, technologies and methods to be used in such a project.

T9.4 - A restricted workshop run as a brainstorm will be set up with the mate institutes interested in a future common SMIS system.

T9.5 - Definition of ESRF specific functionalities.

T9.6 - Specifications including a summary of pros and cons for sharing the software development with other institutes.

Deliverables

9.1 - Report on the existing software components currently existing at ESRF. Delivery: July 2008

9.2 - Report on existing software components currently existing in mate institutes. Delivery: November 2008

9.3 - Report from the technical brainstorming meeting. Delivery: January 2009

9.4 - Report from the restricted workshop. Delivery: May 2009

9.5 - Detailed specifications for a new SMIS, including an analysis for potential software collaboration with other institutes. Delivery: November 2009