CDI SSF Element(s): Data Management, Web Services Title: USGS Drupal Module Suite for Improved USGS Information Management and Reporting Principal Investigator: Lance Everette, Information Technology Specialist, Fort Collins Science Center, 2150 Centre Ave., Fort Collins, CO 80526, (970) 2269225, email: [email protected] Fiscal Contact: Karen McIntosh, Administrative Officer, Fort Collins Science Center, 2150 Centre Ave., Fort Collins, CO 80526, (970) 2269100, email: [email protected] Abstract: This project will fund the development of a suite of Drupal modules to improve the management of USGS project, product, and staff information on the web. By utilizing USGS Sciencebase’s REST services and community management features, we will provide USGS web sites and content managers with a set of simple tools to effectively manage their information assets and provide public access to them in a consistent, policy compliant manner. Total funding amount requested: $49,650 Total inkind funding: $17,135 Products: 3 Drupal modules and documentation Geographic/geologic/ecosystem/habitat/taxonomic/other context: US national, USGS WRET, content management, Drupal Type of Product(s) Generated: Integrated and searchable web application (BPD), online data entry application, datasets
General Public Summary
This project will fund the development of a suite of Drupal modules to improve the management of USGS project, product, and staff information on the web. By utilizing USGS Sciencebase’s REST services and community management features, we will provide USGS web sites and content managers with a set of simple tools to effectively manage their information assets and provide public access to them in a consistent, policy compliant manner.Proposal Narrative
Scope
In recent years, federal information and technology policy initiatives have been launched to reduce the cost of managing government data and information while increasing the availability and quality assurance of the same. One of the primary ways USGS intends to reduce costs while increasing availability of high quality data and information is to consolidate USGS science and cost center web sites into the opensource content management framework Drupal (e.g., the USGS Web Reengineering Team’s (WRET) FY15 Drupal migration efforts). Drupal’s opensource community provides thousands of reviewed, tested and published “modules” that allow web site managers to easily implement new site features such as automated data services, content type creation and management, and interactive features such as interactive tables and customizable searches. One of the primary strengths of content management systems such as Drupal is they allow content managers to develop, manage, and approve high quality content without having any technical skills or familiarity with software languages, mobile design, or web management. In a content managed environment, the content experts can focus wholly on producing the best information, not the technology used to deliver it. However, regardless of the content management strategy, a longstanding challenge to USGS content managers has been accessing and utilizing critical information that is collected and stored in enterprise systems using established information management workflows. For example, significant USGS information such as BASIS+ project and task information, product information from the USGS Product Warehouse and IPDS, and staff information have historically been stored in publicrestricted repositories and/or in repositories without data services to access them via other USGS web sites. As a result, those ubiquitous USGS information sources have required manual duplication by USGS scientists and science centers for their web sites, disconnecting their high quality duplicated information from the original source. In recent years the USGS Sciencebase and IPDS programs have developed data services (e.g., REST services) that can maintain the connection between authoritative USGS data sources (e.g., BASIS+, IPDS, Active Directory) and USGS web sites. Developing methods for USGS web sites to utilize these data services would improve the cost, efficiency and effectiveness of USGS web content management by reducing duplication of effort and improving the quality of USGS data and content. Starting in 2016, the USGS WRET will begin migrating all USGS science centers, approximately 80% of the USGS web presence, to a new USGS Drupalbased cloud system. Therefore, developing flexible Drupal modules that provide USGS science centers with “outofthebox” features and functionality for managing their staff, project, and product information would provide an immediate benefit and cost savings to USGS.Technical Approach
Through this project we will develop a suite of 3 Drupal modules that utilize existing USGS data services that enable USGS science center content managers to effectively manage their staff, project, and product information. Each module will use a Sciencebase or IPDS data service to validate the web site’s existing content inventory and report potential new or missing source content, with the option to create and update web content identified in reports. Modules will also create default user roles and permission, information architecture components (e.g., filterable staff, project, and product lists), and display pages so USGS web sites can be created quickly, consistently, and within policy compliance. Once implemented, the suite of Drupal modules creates a simple information architecture that is common to USGS web sites, including science centers. A brief description of each module is below.Staff Module
The USGS Sciencebase ‘People’ and ‘Person’ REST services will be used as the authoritative inventory of active staff for any USGS Drupal web site. The ‘Staff’ content type is the foundation of the staff inventory and information architecture and captures staff information needed to maintain connectivity between project and product data, but not available through the People REST service. Web site staff inventory records that need to be created (i.e., new staff) or revised (e.g., staff name change) will be identified using modulebuilt reports, facilitating efficient data updates and quality control. A ‘Staff View’ and related Drupal “blocks” will be constructed to display lists of active staff and authors, as well as lists of projects and products related to individual staff. To combine and display data from the Person REST service, the content type, and the content view as a single web page, the module will set Drupal theme and style elements for desktop and mobile displays. To restrict content management features to selected USGS users, the module creates a new Drupal user group, Staff_Manager, to assign content managers to. Sciencebase REST Service Documentation: ● https://my.usgs.gov/confluence/display/sciencebase/People ● https://my.usgs.gov/confluence/display/sciencebase/PersonProject Module
BASIS+ provides an authoritative data feed of recognized USGS projects to Sciencebase. While these items are restricted Sciencebase recently developed a ‘public copy’ function that will remove restricted sections of the authoritative BASIS+ item and create a new publicapproved item in a new userdefined Sciencebase location. We will therefore use the Sciencebase ‘Catalog Item’ REST services and develop a Drupalbased function that replicates the public copy functionality for USGS content managers. Data that is not provided by these authoritative public BASIS+ items via the REST services will be captured and managed with a ‘Project’ content type, the foundation of the Drupal site’s project inventory and information architecture. Project inventory records that need to be created (i.e., new project) or revised (e.g., extended completion date) will be identified using modulebuilt reports, facilitating efficient data updates and quality control. A ‘Project View’ and related Drupal “blocks” will be constructed to display lists of active and completed projects, as well as lists of staff and products related to each project. To combine and display data from the REST services, the content type, and the content view as a single web page, the module will set Drupal theme and style elements for desktop and mobile displays. To restrict content management features to selected USGS users, the module creates a new Drupal user group, Project_Manager, to assign content managers to. Sciencebase REST Service Documentation: ● https://my.usgs.gov/confluence/display/sciencebase/Creating+and+Modifying+ItemsProduct Module
IPDS currently tracks all USGS products through their production and release. As the authoritative source for USGS products, in FY14 the IPDS team developed a test service to deliver IPDS product reports to the Fort Collins Science Center. For this project we will implement that IPDS service provide authoritative product completion reports to content managers. New product records that need to be created will be identified using modulebuilt reports, facilitating efficient data updates and quality control. A ‘Product’ content type will be built to complete the Drupal site’s project inventory and information architecture. A ‘Product View’ and related Drupal “blocks” will be constructed to display lists of products by type, as well as lists of staff and projects related to each product. To combine and display data from the IPDS service, the content type, and the content view as a single web page, the module will set Drupal theme and style elements for desktop and mobile displays. To restrict content management features to selected USGS users, the module creates a new Drupal user group, Project_Manager, to assign content managers to.Project Experience and Collaboration
The Fort Collins Science Center Web Applications team has been developing Drupal sites and modules for USGS science centers, including LCCs, and CSCs, since 2011 and has
(Principal Investigator) has been developing Sciencebase community and data management strategies for science centers and content managers through ongoing CSAS and CDI projects.
