A Validation Framework for the Long Term Preservation of High Energy Physics Data

The study group on data preservation in high energy physics, DPHEP, is moving to a new collaboration structure, which will focus on the implementation of preservation projects, such as those described in the group's large scale report published in 2012. One such project is the development of a validation framework, which checks the compatibility of evolving computing environments and technologies with the experiments software for as long as possible, with the aim of substantially extending the lifetime of the analysis software, and hence of the usability of the data. The framework is designed to automatically test and validate the software and data of an experiment against changes and upgrades to the computing environment, as well as changes to the experiment software itself. Technically, this is realised using a framework capable of hosting a number of virtual machine images, built with different configurations of operating systems and the relevant software, including any necessary external dependencies.Comment: Proceedings of a poster presented at CHEP 2013, Amsterdam, October 14-18 201

An ontology framework for developing platform-independent knowledge-based engineering systems in the aerospace industry

This paper presents the development of a novel knowledge-based engineering (KBE) framework for implementing platform-independent knowledge-enabled product design systems within the aerospace industry. The aim of the KBE framework is to strengthen the structure, reuse and portability of knowledge consumed within KBE systems in view of supporting the cost-effective and long-term preservation of knowledge within such systems. The proposed KBE framework uses an ontology-based approach for semantic knowledge management and adopts a model-driven architecture style from the software engineering discipline. Its phases are mainly (1) Capture knowledge required for KBE system; (2) Ontology model construct of KBE system; (3) Platform-independent model (PIM) technology selection and implementation and (4) Integration of PIM KBE knowledge with computer-aided design system. A rigorous methodology is employed which is comprised of five qualitative phases namely, requirement analysis for the KBE framework, identifying software and ontological engineering elements, integration of both elements, proof of concept prototype demonstrator and finally experts validation. A case study investigating four primitive three-dimensional geometry shapes is used to quantify the applicability of the KBE framework in the aerospace industry. Additionally, experts within the aerospace and software engineering sector validated the strengths/benefits and limitations of the KBE framework. The major benefits of the developed approach are in the reduction of man-hours required for developing KBE systems within the aerospace industry and the maintainability and abstraction of the knowledge required for developing KBE systems. This approach strengthens knowledge reuse and eliminates platform-specific approaches to developing KBE systems ensuring the preservation of KBE knowledge for the long term

Colenda @ the University of Pennsylvania: Using a decoupled, pluggable architecture for object processing

This poster details the architecture of the repository and the deliverables of the first major release of Colenda, the open-source repository software developed at Penn Libraries. Staff in Digital Library Development & Systems created Colenda, a long-term preservation ecosystem including Samvera, an open-source software framework for repository development, at its core. Colenda is a Samvera instance that provides materials-agnostic fuThis poster details the architecture of the repository and the deliverables of the first major release of Colenda, the open-source repository software developed at Penn Libraries. Staff in Digital Library Development & Systems created Colenda, a long-term preservation ecosystem including Samvera, an open-source software framework for repository development, at its core. Colenda is a Samvera instance that provides materials-agnostic functionality for distributed workflows around administration of digital assets and metadata through a pluggable architecture for metadata schemata and entry. This poster offers a look at object processing workflows from the consumer end as well as a deep-dive into each component\u27s purpose in the software stack

Seven Dimensions of Portability for Language Documentation and Description

The process of documenting and describing the world's languages is undergoing radical transformation with the rapid uptake of new digital technologies for capture, storage, annotation and dissemination. However, uncritical adoption of new tools and technologies is leading to resources that are difficult to reuse and which are less portable than the conventional printed resources they replace. We begin by reviewing current uses of software tools and digital technologies for language documentation and description. This sheds light on how digital language documentation and description are created and managed, leading to an analysis of seven portability problems under the following headings: content, format, discovery, access, citation, preservation and rights. After characterizing each problem we provide a series of value statements, and this provides the framework for a broad range of best practice recommendations.Comment: 8 page

Multi-objective improvement of software using co-evolution and smart seeding

Optimising non-functional properties of software is an important part of the implementation process. One such property is execution time, and compilers target a reduction in execution time using a variety of optimisation techniques. Compiler optimisation is not always able to produce semantically equivalent alternatives that improve execution times, even if such alternatives are known to exist. Often, this is due to the local nature of such optimisations. In this paper we present a novel framework for optimising existing software using a hybrid of evolutionary optimisation techniques. Given as input the implementation of a program or function, we use Genetic Programming to evolve a new semantically equivalent version, optimised to reduce execution time subject to a given probability distribution of inputs. We employ a co-evolved population of test cases to encourage the preservation of the program’s semantics, and exploit the original program through seeding of the population in order to focus the search. We carry out experiments to identify the important factors in maximising efficiency gains. Although in this work we have optimised execution time, other non-functional criteria could be optimised in a similar manner

A software framework based on a conceptual unified model for evolutionary multiobjective optimization: ParadisEO-MOEO

International audienceThis paper presents a general-purpose software framework dedicated to the design and the implementation of evolutionary multiobjective optimization techniques: ParadisEO-MOEO. A concise overview of evolutionary algorithms for multiobjective optimization is given. A substantial number of methods has been proposed so far, and an attempt of conceptually unifying existing approaches is presented here. Based on a fine-grained decomposition and following the main issues of fitness assignment, diversity preservation and elitism, a conceptual model is proposed and is validated by regarding a number of state-of-the-art algorithms as simple variants of the same structure. This model is then incorporated into the ParadisEO-MOEO software framework. This framework has proven its validity and high flexibility by enabling the resolution of many academic, real-world and hard multiobjective optimization problems

Applying the TIMBUS Approach to Preserving Context in Digital Libraries

To date, digital preservation has generally focused on the preservation of specific data in the form of artefacts. However, in order to ensure that this data is accessible in the long term, it is vital that we consider how to extract and preserve information on the software and hardware contexts which this data depends upon to operate. We therefore need tools to assist in identifying, preserving and validating the processes which underpin the creation of data in digital libraries. In particular, we need to consider the importance of preserving not just individual digital artefacts, but the platforms which allow digital libraries to render or execute their items. Digital libraries rely on this software to render their items, and it is therefore important to know configuration details and software dependencies to ensure these items remain fully operational in the future. In the case of digital libraries, the TIMBUS framework provides the tools necessary to assist practitioners in identifying relevant processes, undertake risk analysis, and then to assist the user in extracting, preserving and revalidating the necessary processes. This half-day tutorial introduces the TIMBUS approach to process preservation, and demonstrates how it can be applied to issues relating to digital libraries. TIMBUS focuses primarily on business processes, but this tutorial will show its approach to process-oriented preservation is also relevant to digital libraries. It provides a methodology for process preservation and a set of tools which help to semi-automatically validate and preserve processes so that they can be recreated at a later dat. Participants will be given the knowledge to understand the importance of technical environments for collection items, and learn more about the TIMBUS solutions through examples relevant to the digital library domain. They will also gain an understanding of digital preservation as a risk mitigation strategy

Applying the TIMBUS Approach to Preserving Context in Digital Libraries

To date, digital preservation has generally focused on the preservation of specific data in the form of artefacts. However, in order to ensure that this data is accessible in the long term, it is vital that we consider how to extract and preserve information on the software and hardware contexts which this data depends upon to operate. We therefore need tools to assist in identifying, preserving and validating the processes which underpin the creation of data in digital libraries. In particular, we need to consider the importance of preserving not just individual digital artefacts, but the platforms which allow digital libraries to render or execute their items. Digital libraries rely on this software to render their items, and it is therefore important to know configuration details and software dependencies to ensure these items remain fully operational in the future. In the case of digital libraries, the TIMBUS framework provides the tools necessary to assist practitioners in identifying relevant processes, undertake risk analysis, and then to assist the user in extracting, preserving and revalidating the necessary processes. This half-day tutorial introduces the TIMBUS approach to process preservation, and demonstrates how it can be applied to issues relating to digital libraries. TIMBUS focuses primarily on business processes, but this tutorial will show its approach to process-oriented preservation is also relevant to digital libraries. It provides a methodology for process preservation and a set of tools which help to semi-automatically validate and preserve processes so that they can be recreated at a later dat. Participants will be given the knowledge to understand the importance of technical environments for collection items, and learn more about the TIMBUS solutions through examples relevant to the digital library domain. They will also gain an understanding of digital preservation as a risk mitigation strategy

Applying Open Storage to Institutional Repositories

Repository interoperability and the capability to support preservation can be enhanced by introducing a storage layer that is independent of repository software. Institutional Repositories (IRs) are largely characterized by ‘openness’, that is, most are based on open source software, conform with the Open Archives Initiative (OAI) and aim to provide open access to content and data. We introduce a new ‘open’ approach to repositories: open storage combines open source software with standard hardware storage architectures. Examples include platforms provided by Sun Microsystems, which we use in this work. The paper will describe how the open storage approach has been allied to the OAI framework for Object Reuse and Exchange (ORE) to enable repositories managed with different softwares to share and copy data more easily and to be provided with extra services such as preservation service