Reference models

From DigiRepWiki

Reference models

Some definitions:

"Reference Model: A framework for understanding significant relationships among the entities of some environment, and for the development of consistent standards or specifications supporting that environment. A reference model is based on a small number of unifying concepts and may be used as a basis for education and explaining standards to a non-specialist." (Reference Model for an Open Archival Information System (OAIS) http://ssdoo.gsfc.nasa.gov/nost/wwwclassic/documents/pdf/CCSDS-650.0-B-1.pdf)

"A Reference Model identifies a common learning, teaching, research or business requirement and shows how one or more Services can be used to meet this need. A Reference Model also provides cross-links to the Services that it uses in the Service part of the e-Framework. The development of Reference Models is seen as a community based process, involving domain experts and practitioners in analysing existing good practices and problem areas, and in designing the information and process models on which they are based."
(The e-Framework for Education and Research: An Overview, A Paper prepared on behalf of DEST (Australia), JISC-CETIS (UK). Version R1, July 2005, p 6)

"A Reference Model should provide:

An abstract task model of what has to be accomplished to meet the needs addressed, described in a way that is independent of how it is accomplished
The description of the chosen means of implementing this model, including:
The roles and activities that humans and computer systems are respectively to play in accomplishing this task.
The workflow or processes involved.
The use cases involved at one or more points in the process that form part of the computer system requirements at each point.
From the use cases are derived:
- a specification of the service or services called on, together with links to the specifications and bindings used; and
- a specification of how the various services are co-ordinated in those cases where they have to work together."

(The e-Framework for Education and Research: An Overview, A Paper prepared on behalf of DEST (Australia), JISC-CETIS (UK). Version R1, July 2005, p 8)

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Links and further information

Olivier, Bill, Roberts, Tish and Blinco, Kerry. The e-Framework for Education and Research: An Overview, A Paper prepared on behalf of DEST (Australia), JISC-CETIS (UK). Version R1, July 2005 (http://www.e-framework.org/resources/eframeworkrV1.pdf)

Examples of reference models include:

OAIS
JISC IE Discovery to Delivery (D2D) Reference Model (http://www.ukoln.ac.uk/distributed-systems/jisc-ie/arch/dlf/)

Draft for discussion, by Andy Powell

see also, Powell, Andy. The "discovery to delivery" business requirement in the DLF Service Framework. Presentation to the repositories working group of the JISC-CETIS Conference 2006, available from the conference web site (http://www.e-framework.org/events/conference/programme/repositories/)