UCSF Profiles has integrated with Apache Shindig to add OpenSocial capabilities, allowing it to function as a research networking web platform supporting collaborative applications. As the library of applications grows through contributions from other institutions, the value of the platform increases, attracting more developers and users in a virtuous cycle. Early applications focused on local data, but newer applications access external APIs and aim to enable seamless cross-institutional collaboration. The platform combines social networking features with research functions to support team formation and collaboration across locations.

1. UCSF Profiles as a Web Platform for Integration and Collaboration
Eric Meeks, Leslie Yuan, MPH, Anirvan Chatterjee, Mini Kahlon, PhD
Clinical and Translational Science Institute, University of California, San Francisco
Introduction Results Contribute! Discussion
Social networking sites such as Facebook, As our application library grows, our adoption rate and pool of application developers Tim O’Reilly coined the term “A
http://www.opengadgets.org
Google+ and LinkedIn are more than just expands, resulting in a virtuous cycle . This accelerating growth of available applications Platform Beats an Application Every
web sites - they are web platforms. At UCSF raises the value of adopting OpenSocial within an institution. We are also seeing http://www.openfoafal.org Time.” Social networking sites have
we recognize the value in making a research increasing sophistication within the applications in our library. The first wave consisted of listened and research networking
networking site a web platform which can small two-tier applications centered around local data. This was followed by a second http://github.com/EricMeeks tools need to listen as well. Modern
support applications for collaboration. We wave of multi-tier applications which access external web APIs for data and services. With research often requires cross-
want to integrate our research networking our third wave of applications we plan to deliver cross institutional collaboration as a disciplinary teams which result in
systems with collaboration tools so that the seamless experience within our local research networking tools! members with disparate locations.
same systems our researchers use to Online tools are an obvious solution
discover experts can also be used to interact for this challenge. Our research
and collaborate with experts. 2013 networking tools currently answer the
2012 discovery component of team
2011 Cross-Institutional formation. To answer the
2010 collaboration component we should
Access to Online make our tools platforms that
integrate with existing services. We
External Services Collaboration need the functionality of LinkedIn,
Google+ and Facebook while
Simple Local continuing to own the data and online
research experience.
Applications
Applications
Methods Recognition
We integrated UCSF Profiles with This project was supported by
Apache Shindig to add OpenSocial NIH/NCRR UCSF-CTSI Grant
capabilities into our system, and built Number UL1 RR024131 and Harvard
numerous applications based on the Participating Catalyst Grant Number 1 UL1
OpenSocial standard. We have made RR025758-01. Its contents are solely
our work open source and our code
Institutions the responsibility of the authors and
has been adopted by Wake Forest do not necessarily represent the
and Baylor, both of which are official views of the NIH.
contributing to our OpenSocial Standards UI Security Data We would like to thank Andy Bowline
application library. These extensions of Wake Forest, Kevin Musgrave of
and APIs HTML, Javascript, OAuth, SSL, JSON, REST, Activity, * Researcher RDF
will soon be a part of the Profiles Baylor, MIT Libraries, the VIVO team,
product and we are working with OpenSocial Views Security Token Message, Person* the OpenSocial Foundation and the
VIVO to achieve the same ends. Apache Software Foundation.
The Platform
Profiles and OpenSocial
Clinical and Translational Science Institute / CTSI
Accelerating Research to Improve Health