RoadMap

Draft Document

While this document is still being enhanced, it is considered in a "reviewable" state. It will be presented for community review at the Open Repositories 2015 conference. Feedback is also welcome via comments on this wiki page!

This Technical RoadMap is based on the DSpace 2015-18 Strategic Plan - Technology and the Use Case Analysis produced by the DSpace RoadMap Working Group in April/May of 2015. The DSpace RoadMap Working Group consists of the members of DCAT, Committers and Steering Group: Tim Donohue (Lead, DuraSpace), Stuart Lewis (Edinburgh), Bram Luyten (@mire), Jonathan Markow (DuraSpace), Michele Mennielli (CINECA), Richard Rodgers (MIT), Ryan Steans (Texas Digital Library), Maureen Walsh (Ohio State)

Candidate Features for DSpace 6.0

This list is incomplete, and does not represent a list of ALL features to be added into DSpace 6.0 in late 2015. It just notes a few smaller features / goals from the 2015-18 Strategic Plan for Technology which will be targeted towards the 6.0 release. The remainder of the 6.0 features will be determined from community contributions (similar to the 4.0 and 5.0 releases the last few years) which align well with the overarching Strategic Plan for Technology.

Priority 1 Features

Design / Notes

Related Technical Strategic Goal(s)

Core?

Complexity

Use Cases

Volunteers

Single Search / Browse System (SOLR)

While the default Search/Browse system is now based on Apache Solr, DSpace continues to maintain outdated code which supports the Traditional Lucene / Database system.

Lucene and old DB browse system are already deprecated. Just need removal

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Goal 2: Lean and flexible

x

Low

Single built-in Statistical Engine (SOLR Statistics)

DSpace currently has two built-in statistical engines, one based on Apache Solr (default) and another based on ElasticSearch. DSpace should only provide one out-of-the-box, built-in statistical engine (Solr Statistics), and the ElasticSearch codebase should be migrated into an optional "module" or add-on.

Move Elasticsearch Usage Statistics to external "module"? Possibly related to "Module Framework" project however (so it may or may not need to wait for 7.0)

Goal 2: Lean and flexible

x

Low

NOTE: More features will be discussed on the DSpace Release 6.0 Status page, and added to this list as they are finalized. Work on the 6.0 release is proceeding in parallel to the development of this RoadMap, and therefore, this RoadMap primarily represents the goals/candidate features for the 7.0 release in 2016.)

Candidate Features for DSpace 7.0 - Priority 1

The DSpace 7.0 release is tentatively scheduled for late 2016 or early 2017. The below candidate features are ordered in terms of perceived importance to the 7.0 release. However, if you or your institution would like to drive or lead the development of a specific feature, you are welcome to volunteer your time towards any of the candidate features listed, no matter where that feature ranks in the listing.

Priority 1 Features	Design / Notes	Related Technical Strategic Goal(s)	Core?	Complexity	Use Cases	Volunteers
Single User Interface	DSpace currently maintains two user interfaces in parallel (JSPUI and XMLUI). We want to "converge" on a single, out-of-the-box user interface for DSpace. Design - Single UI Project	Goal 2: Lean and flexible	x	High	For reference: End User Use Cases Admin UI Use Cases	Cineca
Configurations in Admin User Interface	DSpace should support the modification of most configurations/settings from the Administrative User Interface, instead of requiring such configurations be tweaked from command line. Dependent on / related to "Single User Interface"	Goal 5: Low cost, "just works"	x	High	Page: Admin UI - Configurations in the admin UI Page: Admin UI - Changing / Editing OAI crosswalks Page: Structure - Associate Separate Properties with Each DSpace Community Page: Admin UI - Configure and manage browse indexes Page: Admin UI - Rebuild the discovery index Page: Integration - Integration with external authentication / authorisation system Page: Integrations - Authentication through Multiple Mechanisms Page: Admin UI - DSpace should accommodate basic index normalization Page: Structure - Format checking of data entry in input forms Page: Structure - Check Bitstream names against allowed file name pattern Page: Admin UI - System Alerts via Admin UI Page: Admin UI - Customise which metadata fields to facet upon, search upon Page: Admin UI - Alter messages easier Page: Admin UI - Apply an input-form to the collection through the GUI Page: Admin UI - Manage input forms Page: Structure - Manage Lists, Controlled Vocabularies and Authority Control Page: Admin UI - Manage controlled vocabularies Page: Admin UI - Approval workflows	Cineca
Non-functional: "Module" Framework and Registry	DSpace needs a clear definition of what constitutes a "DSpace module", so that third-parties can create, maintain and distribute their own "modules" as add-ons to DSpace, and distribute them via a public "registry". Design - Module Framework and Registry	Goal 3: Can be "extended"	x	High		Cineca (interested)
Simplify Community & Collection Hierarchy	DSpace's required hierarchy of Communities and Collections should be replaced with a more flexible module of supporting Collections & Sub-Collections. Design - Simplify Community and Collection Hierarchy	Goal 2: Lean and flexible	x	High	Structure - Community and Collection hierarchy (or generic containers)
Lower the effort to deposit content into DSpace (via integrations)	The DSpace deposit process should integrate more closely with external data sources, in order to automatically populate (or suggest) data on deposit. We should also investigate whether some integrations may allow opportunities for Administrator's to autopopulate DSpace from trusted, external content sources. Design - Lower effort to deposit	Goal 1: Fundamentals of IR Goal 4: Integration with external services	x	Medium	Integrations - Integrations that significantly lower the effort to fill DSpace with content, both from in house systems and third party content Integrations - Linking to other data sources search for available data Integrations - Importing data from discipline-specific systems into DSpace	Cineca (interested)

Candidate Features for DSpace 7.0 - Priority 2

The DSpace 7.0 release is tentatively scheduled for late 2016 or early 2017. As "priority 2" features, these features are not guaranteed for the DSpace 7.0 release, but we'd encourage community members to volunteer to help achieve any of these features. If there is community interest in moving one or more of these features forward, that feature may be moved up to "priority 1" for the 7.0 release.

Priority 2 Features	Design / Notes	Related Technical Strategic Goal(s)	Core?	Complexity	Use Cases	Volunteers
Hierarchical Metadata Support	DSpace should support hierarchical metadata formats (e.g. MODS)	Goal 1: Fundamentals of IR	x	High	Structure - Support for hierarchical metadata formats (e.g. METS / MODS)	Cineca
Relationships between Objects	DSpace should support defining relationships between objects (especially at the Item and Bitstream level). Some object relationships may be definable via metadata, but should be respected by the DSpace UI. But, in other situations, it may also necessitate the creation of new types of Objects (e.g. Author objects as Authors of an Item rather than simply textual metadata) Primary use case description: Structure - Relationships between objects This feature should also investigate whether there are opportunities to better integrate or utilize the new RDF-based interface to describe / define object relationships within DSpace.	Goal 1: Fundamentals of IR	x	High	Structure - Relationships between objects Structure - Apply licenses to bitstreams	Cineca
Enhance Basic Statistical Reporting	DSpace's existing Statistical Reporting user interfaces are rudimentary and do not provide enough useful views/reports/exports of the underlying captured data. These should be enhanced based on modern use cases/needs. Primary use case description: Basic Statistics (and all child pages) This would likely be depending on the "Single User Interface" project for much of the enhancements, as many of these reports are UI related.	Goal 1: Fundamentals of IR	x	Medium	Stats/Metrics - Basic Statistics (and all child pages)
Enhance Basic Preservation	DSpace's existing basic preservation functions (format identification, checksum verification, etc) could use enhancement based on modern tools and services. See linked use cases for more details of possible enhancements to existing basic preservation functionality	Goal 1: Fundamentals of IR	x	Medium	Admin UI - Basic Preservation - Fixity Checking Admin UI - Basic Preservation - Format identification Admin UI - Basic Preservation - Format validation Admin UI - Format reporting
Easy and Intuitive Deposit Interface	DSpace's deposit interface could use enhancement for a better overall user experience with regards to usability and accessibility. Dependent on / related to "Single User Interface" Primary use case description: Easy and Intuitive Deposit Interface May need further definition around what sorts of changes will make deposit easier?	Goal 1: Fundamentals of IR	x	Medium	Page: End User - Email Deposit of bitstream for automatically captured metadata Page: Admin UI - Generate Handle before commiting Item Page: End User - Curated thumbnails Page: Admin UI - Undo a bulk import from the User Interface Page: Structure - Manual Submission of New Items Page: End User - Flexible licensing Page: End User - Easy and Intuitive Deposit Interface Page: End User - Email Deposit of bitstream for archived metadata-only item Page: End User - Deposit entire item by email Page: Structure - Format checking of data entry in input forms Page: Structure - Check Bitstream names against allowed file name pattern Page: Integrations - importing large files into repositories using an external system Page: Integrations - Importing data from discipline-specific systems into DSpace Page: Admin UI - Apply an input-form to the collection through the GUI Page: Admin UI - Updating a Workflow group Page: Admin UI - Workflow Overview Rejection Page: Structure - Create / manage files and metadata (as an Item) Page: Admin UI - Manage input forms Page: Structure - Manage Lists, Controlled Vocabularies and Authority Control Page: Structure - Automated Update of Existing Items	Cineca (interested)

Post-7.0 Features

While these features are scheduled as "post-7.0" at this time, we still encourage volunteers to begin to analyze or tackle them. If there is interest in moving one or more of these features forward in the nearterm, we can immediately we can immediately schedule it for an upcoming release.

Features	Design / Notes	Related Technical Strategic Goal(s)	Core?	Complexity	Use Cases	Volunteers
Non-functional: Easier Installation	While DSpace's installation process continues to improve, it is still highly manual in nature. We should investigate ways to provide an "easy installer" which could potentially even auto-install and configure prerequisites such as Tomcat, Postgres, etc. Dependent on some Priority 1 features (e.g. Single UI, Configs in Admin UI)	Goal 5: Low cost, "just works"	x		There was an older Installer Prototype which attempted some of this, but was not successful. It may be worth revisiting that prior work/experience, if just for use cases.
Non-functional: Easier Upgrade Process	While DSpace's upgrade process continues to improve, it is still complex with regards to local customizations or theme changes. We should investigate of simplifying the upgrade process, by alleviate the manual process of merging in local changes/tweaks where possible. Dependent on some Priority 1 features (e.g. Single UI, Configs in Admin UI Could be helped by "Theme management in Admin UI"	Goal 5: Low cost, "just works"	x
Advanced Usage Statistics	DSpace currently only provides basic statististical reporting functionality. We should investigate ways to provide enhanced, highly detailed reports for users who need them. Likely, this will be implemented as an optional module available via a module registry. Likely an optional module or external integration, therefore it may be dependent on a "Module Framework" being developed Ranked very highly in 2013-14 Vision Survey	Goal 3: Can be "extended"		High	Stats/Metrics - Advanced Statistics Others under "uc-stats-metrics" label
Theme management in Admin UI	While DSpace currently supports some basic theming in the XMLUI interface, management of such themes is performed via command-line configurations and tweaks. We should find a way to make Themes selectable and tweakable via the Admin UI, like other modern web facing systems. Dependent on "Single User Interface" Could be highly beneficial to "Easier Upgrade Process" in that theme management is a huge pain point of the existing upgrade process Ranked lower in 2013-14 Vision Survey	Goal 5: Low cost, "just works"	x	High	Page: Admin UI - Apply an existing theme to a collection or community through the GUI Page: Admin UI - Theme management Page: Admin UI - Theme templates Page: End User - Visual collection browsing Page: Admin UI - Alter messages easier
Enhance Versioning	DSpace provides an optional, basic Item versioning capability. However, this versioning capability is limited in nature, and not yet fully integrated into all DSpace tools and interfaces. We should find a way to enhance item versioning, and make it more embedded into the system (and API) overall. Ranked lower in 2013-14 Vision Survey		x		Page: Structure - Automated Retention of All changes to Items Page: Structure - Manual Edit of Existing Items Page: Structure - Manual Creation of "New Editions" of an Item Page: Structure - Generated provenance for all added bitstreams	Cineca
Replace "Bundle" object with Metadata or similar	In DSpace, a "Bundle" object is just a simple grouping of Files (Bitstreams) (e.g. "THUMBNAIL", "TEXT"). Rather than being its own object, a "bundle" could be more easily replaced with metadata on individual Bitstreams (e.g. dc.type="thumbnail"), or even relationships between Bitstreams (i.e. derivative objects). Primary use case description: Structure - purpose of bundle layer May also be dependent on or related to "Relationships between Objects" project	Goal 2: Lean and flexible	x	Medium	Structure - purpose of bundle layer Structure - Describe Individual Bitstream within an Item Structure - Support for derivative objects
Advanced Preservation	DSpace currently only provides basic preservation tools (format identification, checksum verification, etc) out-of-the-box. We should investigate providing enhanced preservation options (or integrations) for users who need it. Likely, this will be implemented as an optional module available via a module registry. Likely an optional module or external integration, therefore it may be dependent on a "Module Framework" being developed Ranked lower in 2013-14 Vision Survey	Goal 3: Can be "extended"		High	Admin UI - Advanced Preservation - Format Migration Admin UI - Advanced Preservation - Format characterization Others under "uc-preservation" label
Enhance Search / Browse System	While DSpace's search/browse system continues to improve, there are still ways we can improve the user experience of finding items within DSpace. See various unmet use cases labeled "Search/Browse" Dependent on "Single Search / Browse System" feature being completed, to ensure we can more easily implement new Search/Browse use cases Some use cases also dependent on "Single User Interface" being completed	Goal 1: Fundamentals of IR	x		Page: End User - Enhanced access to related items Page: End User - Search for items Page: End User - Browse Page: End User - Intelligent rendering of URL's in item Metadata Page: End User - Clear distinction between different types of contributor involvement Page: Admin UI - Trigger the re-index of a collection Page: End User - Discovery and retrieval of content on mobile devices Page: Admin UI - Configure and manage browse indexes Page: Admin UI - Rebuild the discovery index Page: Admin UI - DSpace should accommodate basic index normalization Page: Structure - Create the ability to place "dynamic collections" (pre-faceted view of a collection) within the community hierarchy. Page: Admin UI - Customise which metadata fields to facet upon, search upon Page: Admin UI - Clear the OAI Cache Page: Admin UI - Rebuild the OAI index Page: Admin UI - Run media filters
Enhance Access Control	DSpace's access control system (which manages authentication and authorization) is a custom solution that is now nearly as old as the software platform itself. While it functions well enough as-is, replacing it with a comparable third-party, open source AuthN/AuthZ system would simplify our codebase and ongoing maintenance. See various unmet use cases regarding "Access Control" Also see Unable to locate Jira server for this macro. It may be due to Application Link configuration.	Goal 1: Fundamentals of IR	x		Page: Admin UI - Change permissions of all the bitstreams in a bundle Page: Admin UI - Configure hidden communities and collections Page: Admin UI - Access Rights on all levels of objects within the system Page: Integration - Integration with external authentication / authorisation system Page: Integrations - Authentication through Multiple Mechanisms Page: Admin UI - Embargo functionality Page: Admin UI - Updating a Workflow group Page: Admin UI - Approval workflows	Cineca

Integrations

While integrations are very important to DSpace, these integrations projects are "unscheduled" as of yet, as many of these projects require further definition, or (in some cases) their design may be affected by one or more of the candidate features listed above. Nonetheless, if there is interest in moving one or more of these features forward in the nearterm, we can immediately schedule it for an upcoming release.

Integration	Design / Notes	Related Technical Strategic Goal(s)	Core?	Complexity	Volunteers
Integration with external authentication / authorisation system	Also related to Integrations - Authentication through Multiple Mechanisms Already exists to some extent (LDAP, Shibb, etc). But, would be nice to move to a third-party, standardized AutN/AuthZ solution. Unable to locate Jira server for this macro. It may be due to Application Link configuration.	Goal 4: Integration with external services	x	Medium	Cineca
Integrations that increase the exposure of content stored into DSpace in external systems	Related: Integrations - Linking to repository content through a learning management system	Goal 4: Integration with external services
Integrations - Persistent Identifiers other than Handles (DOI)	Related to Integrations - Use of multiple sorts of Direct Object Identifiers Also related Integrations - Handle System Identifiers	Goal 4: Integration with external services	x
Integrations - Personal Identifiers (ORCID) (Enhanced)	Related to Integrations - Support ORCID in Authority Cache Also related Integrations - Support for ORCID in the CSV Batch edit ORCIDs exist in DSpace 5.x, but these use cases suggest enhancements to that system	Goal 4: Integration with external services	x
End User - Streaming Video Content	Provide an ability to stream video in-browser (likely using third-party integrations or tools) Related to End User - Visitor can play media hosted on an external streaming media server	Goal 5: Low cost, "just works"
Integrations - integrating with third party document streaming services	Provide an ability to stream/view (textual) documents (e.g. PDF) in-browser	Goal 5: Low cost, "just works"
Integrations - Streaming Image Server	Provide an ability to stream/view/zoom/pan images in-browser Related to End User - Image file display (pan, zoom, size options)	Goal 5: Low cost, "just works"
Integrations - Search Engine Optimization	Search Engine Optimization While this exists in DSpace, SEO is an ongoing activity and can always be improved upon	Goal 4: Integration with external services	x

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