Metadata

DESIRE phase II: Development of a European Service for Information on Research and Education

Introduction

The European Commission (DGXIII) funded the DESIRE (Development of a European Service for Information on Research and Education) project under its Telematics Applications Programme. DESIRE was concerned with enhancing existing information networks for research users across Europe. Phase 1 of the project (1996-98) covered a wide range of topics including cataloguing and indexing, caching, security issues and training. Phase 2 (1998-2000) had three main areas of activity: caching, resource discovery and directory services. Phase 2 finished at the end of June 2000.

UKOLN's involvement in DESIRE II was primarily concerned with resource discovery. This activity was part of Work Package 3 (WP3) on Indexing and Cataloguing. Other partners in DESIRE II WP3 included:

• Institute for Learning and Research Technology (ILRT), University of Bristol [UK]

• Department of Library Research, Koninklijke Bibliotheek (Netherlands)

• Delivery of Advanced Network Technology to Europe Ltd. (DANTE) [UK]

• SURFnet bv [Netherlands]

• NetLab, Lund University Library Development Department, University of Lund [Sweden]

• Trans-European Research and Education Networking Association (TERENA) [Netherlands]

• Computing Centre, Brunel University [UK]

Further information about DESIRE is available from the project's Web pages at:

<URL:http://web.archive.org/web/20110725230823/http://www.desire.org/>

Further information about UKOLN's involvement in phase 1 of DESIRE is available from:

<URL:http://www.ukoln.ac.uk/metadata/desire/phase-1/>

DESIRE II work at UKOLN:

Within WP3 (Indexing and Cataloguing), UKOLN's contribution to DESIRE II was in the following main areas:

Quality Ratings and RDF

Final: Quality Ratings in RDF [report] - Dan Brickley, Tracy Gardner, Rachel Heery and Debra Hiom. Deliverable 3.1 (February 1999).
<URL:http://web.archive.org/web/20101115115647/http://www.desire.org/html/research/deliverables/D3.1/>

Draft: Quality Ratings Implementation [software prototype and documentation] - Tracy Gardner (with input from Rachel Heery and Andy Powell) . Deliverable 3.2 - Part 2 (June 1999).
<URL:http://www.ukoln.ac.uk/metadata/desire/qualityratings/>

Information Gateways Handbook

In order to support the DESIRE vision of a network of European cross-searchable information gateways, WP3 produced the DESIRE Information Gateways Handbook. The handbook is designed to support libraries and other organisations who are interested in setting up large-scale information gateways on the Internet. It offers a step by step guide and points to tools, examples and documentation, which can support the process of setting up a gateway. It is divided into three sections to reflect the separate managerial, information and technical concerns associated with building a gateway.

DESIRE Information Gateways Handbook - Edited by Martin Belcher, Virginia Knight and Emma Place. Deliverable 3.4 (1999).
<URL:http://web.archive.org/web/20110725232202/http://www.desire.org/handbook/>

Metadata Registry Framework

Registries are potentially important for ensuring interoperability between services in a network environment. As part of DESIRE II, WP3 implemented a pilot metadata registry.
<URL:http://www.ukoln.ac.uk/metadata/desire/registry/summary.html> [live registry no longer available]

DESIRE Metadata Registry Framework [report] - Rachel Heery, Tracy Gardner, Michael Day and Manjula Patel. Deliverable 3.5 (April 2000).
<URL:http://web.archive.org/web/20080607052045/http://www.desire.org/html/research/deliverables/D3.5/>

UKOLN staff who worked on DESIRE

Michael Day

Research Officer
E-mail: m.day@ukoln.ac.uk

Tracy Gardner (Left UKOLN, January 2000)

Technical Development and Research

Rachel Heery

Assistant Director (Research and Development)

Manjula Patel

Technical Development and Research
E-mail: m.patel@ukoln.ac.uk

Andy Powell

Technical Development and Research