The document describes the CTSA Inventory Resource Web Presence (CIRWP), a web-accessible and searchable inventory of research resources across the CTSA consortium. It outlines the development of CIRWP, including building an informatics infrastructure based on standards, extending ontologies to annotate resource descriptions, and deploying web services and tools to enable a distributed inventory. CIRWP includes full or partial inventories from 37 CTSA sites cataloging over 370 informatics resources. The document discusses future goals of CIRWP such as accelerating harmonization across organizations and outreach, and highlights evaluations conducted to design CIRWP with user-centered approaches.

1. CTSA Inventory Resource Web Presence (CIRWP)
A web-accessible and searchable inventory of research resources of the CTSA consortium
Tim T. Morris4, Charles D. Borromeo1, Beth Kirschner2, Harpreet Singh MS1, Jessica D. Tenenbaum PhD3, Nancy B. Whelan1, Davera Gabriel RN5,
Kent Anderson MS5, Trish Whetzel PhD6, Csongor I. Nyulas MS6, Barbara R. Mirel DArts2, Paul Saxman MS2, Zachery Wright MSI2, Peter Boisvert2,
Daniel L. Rubin, MD MS6, Brian D. Athey PhD2, Michael J. Becich MD PhD1, Kevin A. Smith MSIS2
1University of Pittsburgh, 2University of Michigan, 3Duke University, 4Emory University, 5University of California Davis, 6Stanford University
Abstract
CIRWP is a web-accessible and searchable inventory of
research resources of the CTSA consortium. A proof of
concept prototype, the architecture extends the NCBC
Biositemaps1 infrastructure, enabling institutions to follow
guidelines for producing their own standards-compliant
inventories or use CIRWP tools for authoring and search.
Future uses by other groups will lead to even more effective
and efficient resource discovery and sharing across CTSA,
NCBC and other extramural and intramural NIH programs.
Specific Aims
1) Create an inventory of tools and technologies adopted by
CTSA funded institutions.
2) Catalog and publish the resource inventory collected by
the CTSA Informatics IRWG.
3) Build and deploy a well-documented, standards-based
informatics infrastructure to enable a federated, web-accessible
catalog of resources that enable clinical and
translational research.
Notable Accomplishments
1) Standards-based Informatics Infrastructure -
· CTSA Inventory Information Model (harmonized with NCBC)
· Biomedical Resource Ontology2 (BRO) Extensions for annotating
descriptions of CTSA resources
· development of a CTSA Inventory Editor3 based on the NCBC counterpart
· development and deployment of web services in support of a distributed
web-accessible inventory framework (hosted on NCBC server resources)
· integration of the CTSA framework with NCBC Biositemaps registry for
registration of distributed RDF inventory files; and development and
· development and deployment of a CTSA query tool5 incorporating faceted
classification and usability best practices
2) Full or partial inventories of informatics resources (370)
across thirty-seven (37) CTSA sites with five sites
completing inventories of translational sciences resources.
3) Published and web-accessible resources for informatics
and translation sciences in compliance with CIRWP
guidelines with a front-end interface that enables users to
query, browse results by categories such as institution or
types of resources, easily refine or expand queries, and
save or send items of interest to others.
http://biositemaps.org/cirwp
Leveraging NIH Initiatives . . .
The CTSA Inventory Resource Web Presence (CIRWP)
project leverages and builds upon several existing NIH
funded initiatives –
1) CTSA Informatics Inventory and Resources Workgroup
(IRWG)
2) National Centers for Biomedical Computing (NCBC)
Working Groups
3) CTSA Administrative Supplement “CTSA National
Resource Database for Translational (T1) Research”
User-Oriented Recommendations
To address the needs of the heterogeneous users of CIRWP V3, we identified numerous criteria for success. In
creating designs to meet these criteria, we sought to maintain and apply strengths from prior prototypes and
comparable sites. We also sought to overcome weaknesses that our evaluations and reviews revealed. Some
aspects of our designs and requirements depend on additional work in web services, RDF structures, the
information model, and Editor.
Proposed Design and User Requirements Highlights
· Multi-mode search: Facets, Free text, Advanced, Hybrid (free text + the other 2)
· Ease of navigating BRO categories for facets and advanced searches
· Simple means (to users) for refining a search or choosing to start a new search
· Retrieved items from free text queries reflecting a search of all fields; query terms highlighted in the results display
· Results in tables with sortable columns, including clickable values for access to resources, contact names, the resource record
· Mechanisms for saving/export
· Front and back-end mechanisms for social aspects - to be built out over time
· Geographical location-based resource mapping
· Mechanisms for keeping users oriented and confidence (e.g. breadcrumbs, counts, Help/FAQs, persistence of last-entered free text query terms)
Future Goals
1) Accelerated development and harmonization of
Biositemaps across NCBCs, CTSAs and other applicable
NIH-funded organizations.
2) Promotion and outreach of this information framework,
using web and print-based media, web-based seminars and
presentations, and participation in national meetings.
The Clinical and Translational Science Awards (CTSA) is a registered trademark of DHHS
User-Oriented Evaluations
We evaluated and created user-centered designs for CIRWP V3. These
designs will help users search, browse, and access CTSA / NCBC
resources efficiently and effectively.
Heuristic evaluations of early prototypes -
Biositemaps and the Pittsburgh Informatics
Tool Inventory and mockups of CIRWP V3
Comparative heuristic evaluation of the
Neuroscience Information Framework (NIF),
which has been developed and revised
based on usability evaluations.
Critical reviews of comparative search /
explore sites and relevant literature
Design sessions structured by use cases with
iterative prototyping with HTML mock-ups
Cross-team discussions of priorities for
design and development
Interviews with translational investigators
regarding resource requirements in the context
of their specific research
The CTSA Information Model defines properties of
biomedical resources and include such attributes as resource name,
organization, center or institute, research program, description, resource
type, related areas of research, related activities, url, keywords, technical
support, documentation available, resource sharable, contact person,
contact person email, contact person, phone . . .
Acknowledgements
University of Pittsburgh
Michael J. Becich MD PhD
Charles D. Borromeo
Harpreet Singh MS
Nancy B. Whelan
University of Michigan
Brian D. Athey PhD
Aaron Bookvich
Peter Boisvert
Beth Kirschner
Barbara R. Mirel DArts
Paul Saxman MS
Kevin A. Smith MSIS
Zachary Wright MSI
Stanford University
Csongor I. Nyulas MS
Daniel L. Rubin MD MS
Trish Whetzel PhD
Oregon Health & Science University
Shannon McWeeney PhD
University of Texas Houston
Elmer V. Bernstam MD MSE MS
Duke University
Jessica D. Tenenbaum PhD
Emory University
Tim T. Morris
University of California Davis
Kent Anderson MS
Davera Gabriel RN
Alice Tarantal PhD
University of California San Diego
Maryann E. Martone, PhD
National Institutes of Health
Elaine Collier MD
Peter Lyster PhD
Project Members
Inventory Resources Working Group
Members (38 POCs)
Bill Adams, Rebecca Bamber,
Edward Barbour, Teresa Bosler, Jim
Brinkley, Christopher Chute, Curtis
Cole, Will Digrazio, David Eichmann,
Joe Ellefson, Larry Errecary, Sandy
Frawley, Steve Johnson, Josef
Kalna, Michael Kamerick, Warren
Kibbe, Matthew Kristin, Bernie
LaSalle, Elliot Lefkowitz, Harold
Lehmann, Sandy Mackenzie, Doug
McFadden, Rekha Meyer, Marc
Overhage, Philip Payne, David
Pilasky, Brad Pollock, Mark Porter,
Dan Schwartz, Jonathan Silverstein,
Rob Taylor, Tom Yeager
CTSA
Administrative Supplements
Pittsburgh, 3UL1RR024153-03S1
Duke, 5UL1RR024128-03S1
Cost Share
Emory University CTSA, 1UL1RR025008-01
University of California Davis CTSA, 1UL1RR024146-01
University of Michigan CTSA, 1UL1RR024986-01
University of Pittsburgh CTSA, 1UL1RR024153-01
NCBC
National Center for Integrative Biomedical Informatics,
3U54DA021519-04S1
National Center for Biomedical Ontology, 3U54HG004028-04S1
Funding Provided by
Getting Involved
Inventory Curation
Curation text goes here . . . Someone to work with
institutional leadership to identify and annotate resources to
publish . . . Includes “tagging” resources with BRO terms . .
.
Creating RDF file . . .
Using the CTSA Biositemaps Editor to create rdf file . . .
Publishing and Registering RDF file . . .
To website that at your institution that is . . . .
Promoting CIRWP at your institution . . .
Help us promote CIRWP . . .
Working with the CIRWP team to make it better . . .
Help us promote CIRWP . . .
Reach us at . . .
cirwp@biositemaps.org