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- 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
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Short-Term (Priority 1) - Available in DSpace 7.
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x
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. Features that have already been included in 7.0 are listed below
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| Priority 1 Features | Design / Notes | Related Technical Strategic Goal(s) | Core? | Complexity | Use Cases | Included in 7.0? |
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| Anchor |
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| Single User Interface |
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| Single User Interface |
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|
Single User Interface. | 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. | Goal 2: Lean and flexible | x | High | For reference: Also see: DSpace 7 UI Project Plain Language Summary | 
| | Anchor |
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| Standards-based REST API |
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| Standards-based REST API |
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|
Standards-based REST API | 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): | | | Anchor |
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| Single Approval Workflow system |
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| Single Approval Workflow system |
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Single Approval Workflow system.
| 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 | | Jira |
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| server | DuraSpace JIRA |
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| serverId | c815ca92-fd23-34c2-8fe3-956808caf8c5 |
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| key | DS-3041 |
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| | | Anchor |
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| Single built-in Statistical Engine |
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| Single built-in Statistical Engine |
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Single built-in Statistical Engine (SOLR Statistics)
| 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).
| Goal 2: Lean and flexible |
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| Priority 1 Features | Design / Notes | Related Technical Strategic Goal(s) | Core? | Complexity | Use Cases | Work in Progress? |
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| Anchor |
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Single User Interface | Single User Interface | 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. | Goal 2: Lean and flexible | x | High | For reference: Also see: DSpace 7 UI Project Plain Language Summary |
| | Anchor |
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Standards-based REST API | Standards-based REST API | 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): | | | Anchor |
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Single Approval Workflow system | Single Approval Workflow system | 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 | | Jira |
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| server | DuraSpace JIRA |
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| serverId | c815ca92-fd23-34c2-8fe3-956808caf8c5 |
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| key | DS-30413455 |
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|
| | | Single built-in Statistical Engine | Single built-in Statistical Engine | Single built-in Statistical Engine (SOLR Statistics) COMPLETE: Elasticsearch Usage Statistics were deprecated in 6.0 and have already been removed from the 7.0 codebase. | 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).
| Goal 2: Lean and flexible | x | Medium | | Jira |
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| server | DuraSpace JIRA |
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| serverId | c815ca92-fd23-34c2-8fe3-956808caf8c5 |
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| key | DS-3455 |
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|
| | Lower the effort to deposit content |
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| Lower the effort to deposit content |
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Lower the effort to deposit content (via integrations).(Some use cases met by new deposit UI, featuring "external sources" of metadata. However, NOT all use cases implemented yet.) | 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. | Goal 1: Fundamentals of IR Goal 4: Integration with external services | x | Medium | | (not all use cases met) | | Anchor |
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| Easy and Intuitive Deposit Interface |
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| Easy and Intuitive Deposit Interface |
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|
Easy and Intuitive Deposit Interface
(See new deposit UI)
| DSpace's deposit interface could use enhancement for a better overall user experience with regards to usability and accessibility| Anchor |
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| Configurations in Admin User Interface | Configurations in Admin User Interface | Configurations in Admin User InterfaceDSpace 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 | | Goal 1: Fundamentals of IR | x | MediumHigh |
| Expand |
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| title | Configuration Other Deposit Use Cases |
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| | Content by Label |
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| showLabels | false |
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| max | 3020 |
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| spaces | DSPACE |
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| showSpace | false |
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| cql | label = "uc-configurationdeposit" and space = "DSPACE" |
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| labels | uc-configurationdeposit |
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| | | Module Framework and Registry | Module Framework and Registry | Non-functional: Module Framework and RegistryDSpace 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". | Goal 3: Can be "extended" | x | High | | | | Anchor |
|---|
Lower the effort to deposit content | Lower the effort to deposit content | Lower the effort to deposit content (via integrations). (Work has begun in DSpace 7 Working Group, via the new deposit UI)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. | Goal 1: Fundamentals of IR Goal 4: Integration with external services | x | Medium | | |
|
...
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| Relationships between Objects |
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| Relationships between Objects |
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Relationships between Objects(Relationships between Items is now supported via Configurable Entities, including new Author Entity objects related to their publications. Other object relationship use cases not yet met.) | 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) | Goal 1: Fundamentals of IR | x | High | | (not all use cases met) |
|
Medium Term (Priority 2) - Not yet available in 7.x
As "priority 2" features, these features are less likely to be implemented in the next DSpace releasenot yet available in DSpace 7.x, 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.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.
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| Priority 2 Features | Design / Notes | Related Technical Strategic Goal(s) | Core? | Complexity | Use Cases | Work in Progress? |
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| Anchor |
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| Configurations in Admin User Interface |
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| Configurations in Admin User Interface |
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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 |
| Expand |
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| title | Configuration Use Cases |
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| | Content by Label |
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| showLabels | false |
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| max | 30 |
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| spaces | DSPACE |
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| showSpace | false |
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| cql | label = "uc-configuration" and space = "DSPACE" |
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| labels | uc-configuration |
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|
|
| | Anchor |
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| Module Framework and Registry |
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| Module Framework and Registry |
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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". | Goal 3: Can be "extended" | x | High |
|
| | Anchor |
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| Hierarchical Metadata Support |
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| Hierarchical Metadata Support |
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Hierarchical Metadata Support | DSpace should support hierarchical metadata formats (e.g. MODS) |
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| Priority 2 Features | Design / Notes | Related Technical Strategic Goal(s) | Core? | Complexity | Use Cases | Work in Progress? |
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| Anchor |
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Hierarchical Metadata Support | Hierarchical Metadata Support | Hierarchical Metadata SupportDSpace should support hierarchical metadata formats (e.g. MODS) | Goal 1: Fundamentals of IR | x | High | | | Anchor |
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Relationships between Objects | Relationships between Objects | Relationships between Objects
(Work has begun in DSpace 7 Entities Working Group)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) | Goal 1: Fundamentals of IR | x | High | |
| | | Anchor |
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| Simplify Community and Collection Hierarchy |
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| Simplify Community and Collection Hierarchy |
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|
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. | Goal 2: Lean and flexible | x | High | |
| | Anchor |
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| Enhance Basic Statistical Reporting |
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| Enhance Basic Statistical Reporting |
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|
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 | | Anchor |
|---|
| Enhance Basic Preservation | Enhance Basic Preservation | Enhance Basic PreservationDSpace'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 functionalityThis 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 |
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| | Anchor |
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| Enhance Basic Preservation |
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| Enhance Basic Preservation |
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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
| | | Anchor |
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| Easy and Intuitive Deposit Interface | Easy and Intuitive Deposit Interface | Easy and Intuitive Deposit Interface
(Work has begun in DSpace 7 Working Group, via the new deposit UI)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 | | x | Medium | | Expand |
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| title | Other Deposit Use Cases |
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| | Content by Label |
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| showLabels | false |
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| max | 20 |
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| spaces | DSPACE |
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| showSpace | false |
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| cql | label = "uc-deposit" and space = "DSPACE" |
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| labels | uc-deposit |
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Longer Term Features / Priorities
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| Features | Design / Notes | Related Technical Strategic Goal(s) | Core? | Complexity | Use Cases |
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| Anchor |
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| Easier Installation |
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| Easier Installation |
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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.
| | Anchor |
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| Easier Upgrade Process |
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| Easier Upgrade Process |
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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 |
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| | Anchor |
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| Advanced Usage Statistics |
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| Advanced Usage Statistics |
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Advanced Usage Statistics | DSpace currently only provides basic |
statististical reporting statistical 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 | | | Anchor |
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| Theme management in Admin UI |
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| Theme management in Admin UI |
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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" |
| High |
| Expand |
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| | Content by Label |
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| showLabels | false |
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| max | 30 |
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| spaces | DSPACE |
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| showSpace | false |
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| cql | label = "uc-theming" and space = "DSPACE" |
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| labels | uc-theming |
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| | Anchor |
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| Enhance Versioning |
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| Enhance Versioning |
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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
| Goal 1: Fundamentals of IR | x | High |
| Expand |
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| title | Versioning Use Cases |
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| | Content by Label |
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| showLabels | false |
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| max | 30 |
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| spaces | DSPACE |
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| showSpace | false |
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| cql | label = "uc-versioning" and space = "DSPACE" |
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| labels | uc-versioning |
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| | Anchor |
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| Replace Bundle object with Metadata |
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| Replace Bundle object with Metadata |
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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 | | | Anchor |
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| Advanced Preservation |
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| Advanced Preservation |
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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 | | | Anchor |
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| Enhance Search / Browse System |
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| Enhance Search / Browse System |
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|
Enhance Search / Browse System(Some basic enhancements were made in DSpace 7, but most use cases not yet met) | 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 |
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| Expand |
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| title | Search / Browse Use Cases |
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| | Content by Label |
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| showLabels | false |
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| max | 20 |
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| spaces | DSPACE |
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| showSpace | false |
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| cql | label = "uc-browse-search" and space = "DSPACE" |
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| labels | uc-browse-search |
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|
|
| | Anchor |
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| Enhance Access Control |
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| Enhance Access Control |
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|
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. | Goal 1: Fundamentals of IR | x |
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| Expand |
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| title | Access Control Use Cases |
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| | Content by Label |
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| showLabels | false |
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| max | 20 |
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| spaces | DSPACE |
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| showSpace | false |
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| cql | label = "uc-access-control" and space = "DSPACE" |
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| labels | uc-access-control |
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|
| | Anchor |
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| Enhance Approval Workflow capabilities |
|---|
| Enhance Approval Workflow capabilities |
|---|
|
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 |
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| Expand |
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| | Content by Label |
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| showLabels | false |
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| max | 20 |
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| spaces | DSPACE |
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| showSpace | false |
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| cql | label = "uc-workflow" and space = "DSPACE" |
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| labels | uc-workflow |
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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.
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