RoadMap

Next Major Release: DSpace 7.0

DSpace 7.0 is under current development. The latest status of that work can be found at DSpace Release 7.0 Status. If you wish to help with development, consider joining the DSpace 7 Working Group.

Specific Release Information

If you are looking for information regarding specific releases of DSpace, especially past releases, also see our Releases page.

The latest stable release is DSpace 6.x. For more information, see the DSpace 6 Release Notes

Background

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).

While it is a living document, it was initially presented at both OR15 (week of June 8), and OAI9 (week of June 15).

A video screencast of this 2015 talk is available at: http://youtu.be/qlPAeqCptxw
Slides are also available at: http://www.slideshare.net/tdonohue/dspace-technology-roadmap-201516

Since 2015, ongoing Strategic Planning activities have taken place in DSpace Steering & Leadership Group Meetings.

How to get involved

If you'd like to help us achieve specific goals in this RoadMap, please get in touch via our Mailing Lists or Slack.
DSpace is primarily supported by community code contributions. If you'd like to contribute code, please see our Code Contribution Guidelines.
If you are interested in discussing a specific topic, we do have DSpace Interest Groups and DSpace Working Groups available.
Other general ways of contributing to DSpace (both technical and non-technical) can be found at How to Contribute to DSpace

Candidate Features for DSpace 7.0 - Priority 1

The DSpace 7.0 release is under development and the latest status can be found at DSpace Release 7.0 Status. The below candidate features are ordered in terms of importance to the 7.0 release. As such, the goal is to achieve each feature in the order that they appear (and not all features are guaranteed to be completed in time for 7.0). 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. For larger features/contributions, we recommend first forming a Working Group (anyone can chair or form a Working Group) to allow other institutions to contribute to your initiative.

Priority 1 Features	Design / Notes	Related Technical Strategic Goal(s)	Core?	Complexity	Use Cases
Single User Interface. (Work has begun in DSpace 7 Working Group)	DSpace currently maintains two user interfaces in parallel (JSPUI and XMLUI). To replace these two user interfaces, we are building a new, single, out-of-the-box user interface on Angular.io. Introducing the New DSpace User Interface (at OR16) DSpace UI Prototype Challenge Design - Single UI Project	Goal 2: Lean and flexible	x	High	For reference: End User Use Cases Admin UI Use Cases Also see: DSpace 7 UI Project Plain Language Summary
Standards-based REST API (Work has begun in DSpace 7 Working Group)	DSpace's current REST API, while functional, is limited in features and does not follow current best practices for RESTful APIs. To support the new, single user interface (on Angular.io), we are building / designing a new REST API that follows modern best practices such as: HATEOAS, ALPS, and using the HAL response format. The new REST API is being built using Spring technologies (Boot, MVC, and HATEOAS).	Goal 3: Can be "extended" and Goal 4: Integration with external services	x	High	New REST Contract (work in progress): https://github.com/DSpace/Rest7Contract
Single Approval Workflow system. (Work has begun in DSpace 7 Working Group)	DSpace currently has two approval workflow systems: Basic/Traditional Approval Workflows. These are enabled by default, and provide up to three approval steps: "Approve/Reject", "Approve/Reject/Edit", or "Edit". These are described in more detail in the Functional Overview#WorkflowSteps Configurable Workflow (XMLUI only, and requires migrating all Basic/Traditional workflows) We should consolidate on a single Approval Workflow system, likely the Configurable Workflow, with sane defaults.	Goal 1: Fundamentals of IR	x	Medium	Unable to locate Jira server for this macro. It may be due to Application Link configuration.
Single built-in Statistical Engine (SOLR Statistics) Elasticsearch Usage Statistics were deprecated in 6.0 and will be removed in 7.0	DSpace currently has three built-in statistical engines, one based on Apache Solr (default), another based on Elasticsearch (optional), and a third Legacy statistics (which parses logs). DSpace should only provide one out-of-the-box, built-in statistical engine (Solr Statistics), and all others should be removed (and as necessary, their features merged into one). Remove Elasticsearch Usage Statistics, see DS-3455 Disable/Remove Legacy (log based) Statistics, see DS-3454	Goal 2: Lean and flexible	x	Medium
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
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
Lower the effort to deposit content (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 End User - Email Deposit of bitstream for automatically captured metadata

Short Term - Priority 2

As "priority 2" features, these features are not guaranteed for the next DSpace release, but are still seen as a priority in an upcoming release. Nonetheless, 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 next release. These features are ordered in terms of importance, but are all considered to be lower importance than the "priority 1" features listed above.

Priority 2 Features	Design / Notes	Related Technical Strategic Goal(s)	Core?	Complexity	Use Cases
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)
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
Simplify Community and 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 Also see alignment with PCDM, which simply has hierarchical Collections	Goal 2: Lean and flexible	x	High	Structure - Community and Collection hierarchy (or generic containers)
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

Longer Term Features / Priorities

While these features are unscheduled 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 schedule it for an upcoming release. These features are unordered, but are all considered priorities for DSpace moving forward.

Features	Design / Notes	Related Technical Strategic Goal(s)	Core?	Complexity	Use Cases
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. Ability to perform an installation from a CD/DVD or offline is also of importance to institutions where network speeds are lower (mentioned at OAI9 in Geneva in 2015) Vision: Installing DSpace could mean simply installing its UI. Once the UI is installed, you would be prompted to optionally install plugin(s) which enable OAI, SWORD, REST, etc.
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: Admin UI - Alter messages easier Page: End User - Visual collection browsing
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
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 Also see alignment with PCDM, which simply uses metadata on files	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: Admin UI - Trigger the re-index of a collection Page: End User - Clear distinction between different types of contributor involvement 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 - Run media filters Page: Admin UI - Clear the OAI Cache Page: Admin UI - Rebuild the OAI index
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 - Updating a Workflow group Page: Admin UI - Embargo functionality Page: Admin UI - Approval workflows
Enhance Approval Workflow capabilities	While directly related to the "Single Approval Workflow system" feature (above), DSpace's workflow system(s) do not yet meet all community use cases for approval workflows. This feature is a placeholder for enhancing the Approval Workflow system based on the Workflow Use Cases (see list in the "Use Cases" column). However, it is likely somewhat dependent on standardizing on a single Workflow system.	Goal 1: Fundamentals of IR	x		Page: Admin UI - Workflow overview Page: Admin UI - Updating a Workflow group Page: Admin UI - Workflow Overview Rejection Page: Admin UI - Approval workflows

Integrations

While integrations are very important to DSpace, these integrations projects are "unscheduled" as of yet. Some of these integrations are "ongoing activities" (e.g. search engine optimization), while others require further definition, or 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. These integrations are unordered, but are all considered priorities for DSpace moving forward.

Integration	Design / Notes	Related Technical Strategic Goal(s)	Core?	Complexity
Integration with external authentication / authorization 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
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
Persistent Identifiers other than Handles (DOI)	Related to Integrations - Use of multiple sorts of Direct Object Identifiers Also related Integrations - Handle System Identifiers Unable to locate Jira server for this macro. It may be due to Application Link configuration.	Goal 4: Integration with external services	x
Personal Identifiers (ORCID) (Enhanced)	Related to Integrations - Support external authorities (ORCID) in Authority Cache Also related Integrations - Support for external identifiers (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
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"
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"
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"
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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