This document describes the architecture and specifications of the GLOBE Global Search system. It discusses using learning object metadata standards like LOM and application profiles to describe resources. It also covers technical specifications for federated search using protocols like SQI and OAI-PMH, as well as the use of a registry and central repository. Future work areas discussed include improving search, ensuring resource quality, and embedding search capabilities into other applications.

1. GLOBE Global Search
System
Architecture and Specifications
OER Asia ベルジェロン フレデリック
Chiba, Japan Frédéric Bergeron
Oct. 15th 2012 Analyst/Programmer
LICEF
http://www.licef.ca

2. Tele-University (TELUQ)
 Located in Quebec City
and Montreal, Canada
 Founded in 1972
 Member of the biggest
network of universities in
Quebec
 Provides higher level
distant education to
~18000 students/year
 ~400 courses and 75
programs of B.S., Master
and Ph.D levels
 http://www.teluq.ca

3. LICEF
 Located in Montreal, Canada
 Founded in 1992
 ~60 people: researchers, students,
scientific & technical staff
 Fields of research
◦ Modeling tools
◦ ID methodology
◦ E-learning systems
◦ Semantic web
◦ Onthologies
 http://www.licef.ca

4. Latest projects
 BRER (2010-2013)
◦ Comete: New repository based on semantic
web (in development)
 PRIOWS (2008-2013)
◦ TELOS: Instructional design, multi-actor
workflow, and knowledge and ontology
modeling (in development)
 LORNET (2003-2008)
◦ Paloma, PalomaWeb: Repository used in
GLOBE
 Edusource
◦ Lompad, ECL

5. Why GLOBE?
 Share and reuse learning resources
from all around the world
 Make the materials easier to retrieve,
to discover
 Google is not good enough

6. How?
•Architecture, technologies, tools
•Protocols, API, rules
•Data and Metadata Formats
•Services
•Interoperability
•Collaboration

7. LOM
 Specification: http://ltsc.ieee.org/wg12/par1484-12-
1.html
 XML data structure used to describe a
learning object with 9 categories of
metadata elements:
•General •Rights
•Life cycle •Relations
•Metametadat •Annotations
a •Classification
•Technical s
•Pedagogical

8. LOM [cont’d]
 General  Life cycle
◦ Identifier ◦ Contribute
◦ Title s
◦ Descriptio ◦ Version
n
 Metametada
◦ Language
ta
◦ Keywords
◦ Identifier
◦… ◦ Schema
◦ Language

9. LOM [cont’d]
 Technical  Educational
◦ Format ◦ Interactivity type
◦ Size ◦ Learning resource type
◦ Location ◦ Interactivity level
◦ Semantic density
◦ Intended end user role
◦ Context
◦ Typical age range
◦ Difficulty

10. LOM [cont’d]
 Rights  Relations  Annotation
◦ Cost ◦ Kind s
◦ Copyright ◦ Is part of ◦ Entity
◦ Has part
and other ◦ Is version of ◦ Description
restrictions ◦ Has version
◦ Is format of
◦ Has format
 Classification ◦ References
s
◦ Purpose
◦ Taxon Path

11. GLOBE Application Profile
 Specification:
http://www.globe-info.org/images/ap/globe_lom_ap_v1.0.pdf
 Minimum set of rules to facilitate a
useful interoperability between
repositories
◦ Mandatory elements
◦ Recommended elements
◦ Optional elements
◦ Shared Vocabularies

12. GLOBE Application Profile
[cont’d]
 Mandatory elements:  Recommended elements
◦ 1.1-Identifier (general) ◦ 1.4-Description (general)
◦ 1.2-Title (general) ◦ 1.5-Keywords (general)
◦ 1.3-Language (general) ◦ 2.3-Contribute (life cycle)
◦ 4.3-Location (technical) ◦ 5.2-Learn. Res. Type (edu.)
◦ 5.6-Context (edu.)
 Optional elements ◦ 6.1-Cost (rights)
◦ 6.2-Copyright & restrict.
 Vocabularies (rights)
◦ Same as LOM’s ◦ 6.3-Description (rights)
◦ 9.2-Taxon Path (classif.)

13. Federated Search
Repository Repository
Repository
?
Repository

14. SQI
 Specification:
http://ariadne.cs.kuleuven.be/lomi/index.php/LorInteroperabilit
y
 Features:
◦ SOAP-based Web Services
◦ Programming language independent
◦ Result format and query language neutral
◦ Supports synchronous or asynchronous
queries
◦ Simple APIs

15. SQI [cont’d]
 2 APIs
Authentication & Query
Session management
• createSession() • setQueryLanguage()
• • setResultsFormat()
createAnonymousSession() • setMaxQueryResults()
• destroySession() • setMaxDuration()
• setResultsSetSize()
• synchronousQuery()
• getTotalResultsCount()
• asynchronousQuery()
• setSourceLocation()
• queryResultListener()

16. Some rules to follow
 Result format: LOM (GLOBE Appl. Prof.)
 Query languages:
◦ VSQL: keywords
 Ex: learning biology
◦ PLQL-0: keywords + bool. expr.
 Ex: “learning object” and “dog”
◦ PLQL-1: elements + operators
 Ex: lom.general.title = "Design Patterns" and
lom.educational.intendedEndUserRole =
"learner" and
lom.educational.typicalAgeRange = "15-18"
◦ PLQL-2: parenthesis for paths + more operators
 Ex: lom.general.title = "Design Patterns" and
lom.technical.(format = "video/mpeg" and
duration <= "PT1H") and
lom.rights.cost="free"
◦ PLQL-3..5

17. SQI [cont’d]
 Pros
◦ Easy to use
 Cons
◦ Doesn’t scale well
◦ Fails disgracefully
◦ Might be hard to implement on some
platforms

18. Harvesting
Repository Repository
Repository
?
Repository
Local
Repository

19. OAI-PMH
 Specification:
http://www.openarchives.org/OAI/openarchivesprotocol.html
 Features:
◦ Built on top of HTTP
◦ Also programming language independent
◦ Simpler API (no SOAP)
◦ Supports various metadata formats
◦ Well established

20. OAI-PMH [cont’d]
 Simple API
6 verbs
• Identify()
• ListMetadataFormats()
• ListIdentifiers()
• ListRecords()
• GetRecord()
• ListSets

21. OAI-PMH [cont’d]
 Pros
◦ Easy to use
◦ Easier to implement
◦ Scale well
◦ Faster search
 Cons
◦ Not up to date

22. Registry
 List of all the repositories in GLOBE
 Facilitate discovery of new
repositories
 Provide administrative information for
collaboration
 Provide technical information for
interoperability and troubleshooting
 Act as a central point to gather all the
metadata records

23. IMS LODE’s Registry Data
Model
 Specification:
http://www.imsglobal.org/LODE/spec/imsLODEv1p0bd.
html
•Administrative information
 XML data structure used to describe a
•Contact info
repository and its content•Technical information
•Contact info
•Supported protocols
•Target endpoint location
•Supported query
languages
•Supported result formats
•Content information
•Languages
•Types of resources
•Access policies
•Annual increase
•Quality procedure
•Intended User Role

24. Central repository
 Use the registry to query all the
repositories
 Use the validator tool
(http://ariadne.cs.kuleuven.be/validationService) to filter
the metadata records
 Provide basic search interface through
GLOBE website (http://www.globe-info.org)
 ~1 million of resources

25. Collaboration
 Getting started?
◦ Basecamp
◦ Flash meetings
◦ Face-to-face meetings
◦ Wiki
 API, tutorials, tools, doc & specs.

26. Future works
 Improve search (ranking, advanced
criterias on the web site)
 Quality insurance (P2P evaluation,
comments, annotations)
 International Collections
 Embed GLOBE search into other apps
(Firefox plug-in, ID tools, etc.)

27. Thank you!
 Questions?