A Visual Toolkit For Information Retrieval

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• A Visual Toolkit For Information Retrieval
• Authors Antony Corfield, Matthew Dovey, Richard
  Mawby Colin Tatham
• Presented by Antony Corfield Richard Mawby

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Presentation will consist of

• Introduction Overview
• Technical Description
• Contacts Information

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Background

• JISC/DNER
• Funding the two-year project under the DNER
  Programme.
• Z39.50
• A computer-to-computer communication protocol
  designed to support searching and retrieval of
  information - full-text documents,
  bibliographic data, images and multimedia - in
  a distributed network environment. Based on
  client/server architecture and operating over the
  internet..
• Quote taken from William Moen, the ANSI/NISO
  Z39.50 Protocol www.cni.org/pub/NISO/docs/Z39.50
  -brochure

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Background (Continued)

• JAVA
• This programming language ensures suitability for
  eventual audience as software is platform
  independent.

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Aims
Aims

• Easy to use
• Visual
• Open Source
• Encouraging ongoing development maintenance of
  the software.

Components enabling users to build portals
without dealing with intricate technical aspects.
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Components
Components

• JAFER has two basic components

• ZClient
• ZServer

• Software based on Client/Server
• architecture.
• Written in Java and uses XML.
• Components used separately or in
• various combinations.

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ZClient Uses

• Reading List Generator
• Using Z39.50 a web page reading list can be
  built.
• Servlet
• A link from a reading list to a record indicating
  the location of an item.
• JSP (Java Server Pages)
• Create dynamic web pages from Z39.50 sources.

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Collaborations

• RSLP (Research Support Libraries Programme) Book
  History And Design Project
• RSLP Mapping Asia Project
• HUMBUL Humanities Hub (a part of RDN - Research
  Discovery Network)
• Oxford University Refugee Studies Centre
• GFIS (Global Forest Information Service)

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Collaborations (Continued)

• (USGS) US Geological Survey
• Microsoft
• EU One-2 Project
• JISC NSF (National Science Foundation) Project
  - OMRAS (Online Music Recognition And Searching)
• Possibly Join-Up Programme ILRT (Institute for
  Learning and Research Technology)

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JAFER Toolkit Project

• Software Developers
• Antony Corfield
• Colin Tatham
• Topics
• Design Technologies
• Visual Configuration

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Toolkit Basic Components

• ZClient
• Development of Portals for Access to Z39.50
  Information Sources
• ZServer
• Provides Access to Non-Z39.50 Information Sources

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JAVA

• Portable Write Once, Run Anywhere
• Flexible Object Oriented Approach
• JavaBeans Component Architecture allows Visual
  Configuration of Properties
• Java Server Pages (JSP) simple technology for
  building HTML pages with Dynamic Content

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XML

• Handles information in a way that is easy to
  Read, Process and Generate
• Can be Transformed using Extensible Stylesheet
  Language (XSL)
• Shares common goals of JAVA

JAVA XML portable CODE, portable DATA
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ZClient Architecture
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XML query

• Based on Search mechanism developed by Global
  Information Locator Service (GILS)
• Boolean Queries (Z39.50 type 101) represented as
  XML
• Search Z39.50 Attributes can be defined by
  Default Search Profile e.g. Bath Profile

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Query example

• ltquerygtltbooleangt
• ltandgt
• ltconstraintModelgt
• ltconstraintgt ATTRIBUTES
• ltsemanticgt4lt/semanticgt title
• ltpositiongt3lt/positiongt any position
• lt/constraintgt
• ltmodelgtMacbethlt/modelgt search term
• lt/constraintModelgt
• .

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Query example (cont.)

• .
• ltconstraintModelgt
• ltconstraintgt ATTRIBUTES
• ltsemanticgt1003lt/semanticgt author
• ltrelationgt3lt/relationgt equals
• lt/constraintgt
• ltmodelgtShakespearelt/modelgt search term
• lt/constraintModelgt
• lt/andgt
• lt/booleangtlt/querygt

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Records XML Serializers

• XML Generated from retrieved Records
• MARC to XML conforms to Open Archives Initiative
  (OAI) schema for MARC records
• GRS to XML conforms to GILS schema for GRS1
  records

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MARC to XML example

• MARC 21 Field 260
• 260aNew York, N.Y. bElsevier, c1984.
• ltvarfield id260 i1 i2gt
• ltsubfield labelagtNew York, N.Y. lt/subfieldgt
• ltsubfield labelbgtElsevier,lt/subfieldgt
• ltsubfield labelcgt1984lt/subfieldgt
• lt/ varfield gt

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XSL Transformations

• Stylesheet used to Transform raw XML to a form
  tailored to the users needs
• e.g.
• ltpublishergtNew York, N.Y. Elsevier, 1984
• lt/publishergt

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JSP Providing Dynamic Content

• Specify Submit Query
• query.submit ( query.and (
• Macbeth, use title,
• Shakespeare, use author ))
• Save Query
• saveCurrentQuery ( query.xml )

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JSP Providing Dynamic Content

• Display Results
• setRecordCursor (n)
• record getCurrentRecord ()
• record.get( title ).getValue ()
• record.get( author ).get( name ).getValue ()

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Configuration of ZClient

• Visual Configuration
• Builder Tools (developers)
• Graphical User Interface (simple)
• XML Configuration
• XML file in Web Server (administrators)

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Visual Configuration Builder Tools

• ZClient is a Java Bean
• Java Beans have Properties which can be
  configured by using Visual Builder Tools
• ZClient Bean properties include
• Host or Target, Password etc.
• Preferred Record Format, XML generation

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Configuration - JBuilder
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Visual Configuration using GUI

• Simple, does not require Builder Tools
• Bean Properties set using Tabbed Panes in User
  Interface

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Configuration via GUI
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Configuration via GUI
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XML Configuration

• Properties set by specifying parameters
• e.g. web.xml file in Tomcat servlet container

ltinit-paramgt ltparam-namegttargetlt/param-namegt
ltparam-valuegtlibrary.ox.ac.uklt/param-valuegt lt/ini
t-paramgt
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ZServer

• Component Architecture
• Configuration of Components provides different
  functions
• Access to non-Z39.50 Information Sources
• Distributed Searches (re-uses ZClient components)

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Access to non-Z39.50 DataBase
ZServer
DB
Client
Host (target)
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Distributed Searches
Z39.50
ZServer ZClient
Non - Z39.50
Client
Host
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ZServer Components

• ZServer
• Manages Connections
• Query Translation
• Record Generation
• Handler
• Maps Attributes to DataBase Tables
• Appropriate DataBase Driver

ZServer
Handler
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ZServer - Visual Configuration

• Server configuration
• IP Address Port binding
• IP Validation User Authentication e.g. ATHENS
• Data Source configuration
• Attribute mapping to Tables
• Mapping between Tables and Record Fields

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Server Configuration
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Attribute Configuration
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Downloads org.jafer package

• ZClient
• Stable builds available as self-expanding Web
  Application Archive (WAR file)
• Java code (Open Source) for developers
• ZServer
• Available from November 2001

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Contacts Information

• Project Director
• Matthew.Dovey_at_las.ox.ac.uk
• Project Administrator
• Richard.Mawby_at_las.ox.ac.uk
• Project Developers
• Antony.Corfield_at_las.ox.ac.uk
• Colin.Tatham_at_las.ox.ac.uk

• Development Website
• www.jafer.org/
• Downloads
• Join mailing lists
• General Website
• www.lib.ox.ac.uk/jafer/