Institutional Web Management Workshop 2008:
Submissions To IWMW 2008 Innovation Competition


Submissions To The IWMW 2008 Innovation Competition

The following submissions were made to the IWMW 2008 Innovation Competition:

  1. Mashing Points of Interest for your Institution
  2. Video Of Photos of IWMW 2007
  3. Steps towards a media release tracking/effectiveness dashboard widget
  4. OpenDOAR Google Maps Pilot
  5. A touch of sms, a twist of twitter, plus a dollop of word cloud ...
  6. Search Scottish Institutions
  7. StudentViews
  8. Live Train Departures info
  9. Linearising My Non-Linear Presentation
  10. The Facebook Debate
  11. A collaborative cross-institutional user-generated interactive mashup thing

The winning submission, as described on the UK Web Focus blog was A collaborative cross-institutional user-generated interactive mashup thing.

1. Mashing Points of Interest for your Institution

Name and Affiliation
David Mackland, University of Abertay
Title
Mashing Points of Interest for your Institution
User Benefits
Display points of interest on a Google map without the need for any HTML or coding knowledge. Allows the management of multiple maps for various audiences from a single source.
Ease
This was created using Oracle Application Express (APEX) and uses ColdFusion to convert the data into XML. The XML is then used by the Google Map API to display points of interest in various categories on a Google Map. These maps can then be displayed on any Web site.
Coolness!
This could allow institutions to provide geographical data to users in a few minutes without any coding what so ever. It can also mash the data into KML to be displayed in Google Earth. The content of the information windows can hold any HTML including YouTube videos, Flickr slideshows and much more which I haven't yet tried.
Background to the Work
Here at UAD we previously has a Flash-based map on or Corporate site which showed points of interest. Unfortunately our Web team did not have Flash skills and when new points needed to be added or content updated we needed to pay the supplier to do this work. Early in 2006 we started to us Application Express - then HTMLDB - from Oracle and had also seen what was possible with the Google Maps API. I decided to combine the two using ColdFusion to convert the data into XML which the API consumes. This mashing could quite easily be done in PHP, JAVA or other flavour of development language but we mainly work with ColdFusion here at UAD. The Google Maps application was demo'ed to our communications department who manage content on the Corporate Web site and it was an immediate hit as it allowed them to add and remove points of interest on a seasonal basis. I also demo'ed it to the Scottish Webfolk early in 2008 and was asked to extend it so it could be used to create a 'pub guide of Aberdeen' for the IWMW 2008 delegates. Exactly the sort of application is is intended to support. ORACLE + COLDFUSION/GOOGLE MAPS API = BEER
Openness
I'm happy to share details of the code with anybody who wants further information.
Additional Notes
If an institution wants an APEX account to create their own maps then please contact me via http://googlemaps.abertay.ac.uk/
Demonstration
See <http://googlemaps.abertay.ac.uk/>.
Submission Details
Description of submission added on 30 May 2008.

2. Shared Memories of IWMW 2007

Name and Affiliation
Brian Kelly, UKOLN
Title
SHared Memories of IWMW 2007
User Benefits
The display and commentary provides IWMW 2007 participants with a shared memory of the event. The submission also provides participants will an opportunity to learn about the Piclens software and ways in which it can be used.
Ease
The service was created using a HTML editor to create the HTML and RSS files. It was then found that the Piclens Publisher tool could be downloaded, making the creation of the service even easier.
Coolness!
The ease of creation of the 3D environment is, itself, pretty cool. The 3D environment is also pretty cool. And making use of photographs provided with a Creative Commons licence demonstrates the advantages of openness.
Background to the Work
The Piclens software was initially used to create a visualisation of the history of the University of Bath home page based on information available in the Internet Archive. Once this had been produced the potential benefits in other areas was recognised.
Openness
The photographs have a Creative Commons licence. The 3D visualisation and the accompanying video also have Creative Commons licence.
Acceptability Criteria
This was developed specifically for participants at IWMW events.
Additional notes
 
Demonstration
See <http://www.ukoln.ac.uk/web-focus/events/workshops/webmaster-2007/photos/photos.html>
Submission Details
Description of submission added on 23 June 2008.

3. Steps towards a media release tracking/effectiveness dashboard widget

Name and Affiliation
Tony Hirst, Open University
Title
Steps towards a media release tracking/effectiveness dashboard widget
User Benefits
At a glance view of the effectiveness of media releases in terms of how they are picked up by news and informal (blogosphere) media.
Ease
A blog post which describes how this submission was developed is available.
Coolness!
Not for me to say - it's simple, verging on trivial and/or obvious; and it may wind a few people up ;-)
Background to the Work
Brian told me to submit something, and I couldn't think of anything else to do with the news feeds in the time I didn't have to put the entry together!
Openness
It's all out there...
Acceptability Criteria
Preferences are given to submissions which were (a) developed just for the competition : Yes it was.
or (b) developed to support a wider community than just the host institution: It'll work with other press release feeds and a bit of tweaking; if I get a chance, I will add updates to the post that e.g. put an 'interface' on the pipe, or show how to clone it for use with media feeds from other institutions (though not the OU, obviously ;-)
Additional notes
See the comments to the post. Also note that the mashup doesn't really work with the components that are currently there, though the pattern is ok as a first step - e.g. I need to pull in more news results, I could try using OpenCalais rather than Yahoo term extractor etc.
Demonstration
The output is available at <http://www.dipity.com/user/psychemedia/timeline/University_of_Aberdeen_media_release_effectiveness>. The backend is available at <http://pipes.yahoo.com/pipes/pipe.info?_id=6halKnZS3RGrdt9JYEsBXw>.
Submission Details
Description of submission received on 16 July 2008.

4. OpenDOAR Google Maps Pilot

Name and Affiliation
Peter Millington, SHERPA Technical Development Officer, University of Nottingham
Title
OpenDOAR Google Maps Pilot
User Benefits
This extension to the OpenDOAR directory will let users plot distribution maps of open access repositories from found from any search. This will be useful for advocacy purposes - for instance, showing the extent of the repository infrastructure in a particular territory or region and highlighting where there are geographical gaps. Other searches might show the market penetration of particular software platforms, the geographical range of repositories with material in particular language and all sorts of combined criteria.
Ease
This is a relatively simple mashup of an OpenDOAR API with Google Maps. "Google Map" has been added to the list of available display options on the OpenDOAR search form. Form variables are converted into parameters for the API (in fact they have the same field names), and the search interface writes out the necessary JavaScript. The JavaScript code attempts to display the map at an appropriate scale, using lat/lng range information in the XML returned by the API. This requires a bit more tweaking.
Coolness!
Although this application could have been developed with the Google Maps and the existing OpenDOAR API - as does Repository66 - there are complications when there are several repositories/records at the same coordinates - not an uncommon situation. Repository66 seems to be losing some repositories, although in some cases they appear to have got round this by slightly varying the coordinates for multiple repositories from the same place, so that they form a cluster on the map. In any case, the larger number of points can have performance implications.
An alternative prototype OpenDOAR API was therefore created specifically for mapping purposes - http://www.opendoar.org/googlemapapi.php - which takes parameters from the OpenDOAR search form. The returned XML uses a schema that includes some overall information (min & max lat & lng, and number of points in the result set), and groups individual records by their coordinates. This schema reduces the number of points that need plotting, and enables the Google map to list multiple records on a single placemarker balloon. The principles of the schema would be applicable elsewhere. The XML contains slimmed-down data relative to the released API.
Background to the Work
Inspired by Stuart Lewis's work on www.repository66.org, OpenDOAR undertook an exercise to add geographical coordinates for the repositories in its database. These try to go down to the street level, but for some repositories it has so far only been possible to give generic city-wide coordinates. The initial data capture has just been completed, and we hope to improve the coordinates through dialogue with repository managers.
We needed to be able generate maps of our own for quality assurance purposes (a missed "-" sign can place a repository on the wrong continent or in mid-ocean) and it was a relatively simple matter to extend the existing search interface to display Google Maps. We can see that these maps would be of interest to the open access community generally, and will be upgrading the public interface accordingly in due course.
Openness
OpenDOAR data from the APIs can be re-used under a CreativeCommons Attribution-Non-Commercial-Share Alike licence. Developers are welcome to experiment with the OpenDOAR googlemapapi and with its XML schema. There is no documentation yet, but we suspect that this will be no barrier. The existing API is documented at <http://www.opendoar.org/tools/api.html>.
Acceptability Criteria
This submission is designed to provide a new way of displaying information on repositories for the worldwide open access community.
Additional notes
This application is currently a pilot. We would be like to know what information people wish to see in the placemarker balloons, bearing in mind that we feel it should be kept brief. We intend to release this as an upgrade to the existing "find" interface in the near future.
Demonstration
The following example are available: You can also your own queries using the search form.
Submission Details
Submission received on 18 July 2008.

5. A touch of sms, a twist of twitter, plus a dollop of word cloud and you've the perfect way of capturing informal feedback during and after presentations

Name and Affiliation
Andy Ramsden, University of Bath
Title
A touch of sms, a twist of twitter, plus a dollop of word cloud and you've the perfect way of capturing informal feedback during and after presentations.
User Benefits
Both the audience and the presenter will gain significantly from this innovation as it enhances the communication between people. Through this innovation the days of being talked at by presenters, or presenters facing a wall of silence from the audience are over. More importantly, the days of the presentation being constrained in time and space are over - the discussion can go on and on and on.
Ease
The innovation is incredibly easy to implement. This is because it is based on technologies that are already well established, and simply joins them up. The key technology is the being able to send an SMS message or a tweet to your Twitter account. So a mobile phone is all you need.
Coolness!
This innovation is not just cooler than the rest it is simply freezing! Most attempts at getting feedback (either formal or informal) include deploying expensive, sophisticated solutions that don't quite meet your requirements. I think if you offered this to cat owners, then eight out of ten cat owners (who expressed a preference) would put this in their basket compared to any other means of connecting with the audience.
Background to the Work

There are a number of key problems the large group presentational format. In particular, they often lack the opportunity to interact. On many occasions members of the audience do not feel comfortable asking questions. While session protocol seems to dictate that open floor questions are squeezed in at the end, so by the time the first question is asked the time is up. Throughout the process there is little feedback for the presenter concerning if people are understanding the message being developed. While, if there is a discussion then it is along a linear path with the focal point being the presenter.

There are a number of key problems the large group presentational format. In particular, they often lack the opportunity to interact. On many occasions members of the audience do not feel comfortable asking questions. While session protocol seems to dictate that open floor questions are squeezed in at the end, so by the time the first question is asked the time is up. Throughout the process there is little feedback for the presenter concerning if people are understanding the message being developed. While, if there is a discussion then it is along a linear path with the focal point being the presenter. Finally, once the presentation is finished then any open, transparent discussion ceases.

Of course there are many available technologies that address these issues. For instance, the increasing use of audience response systems, or the emergence of web based chat channels. The problem with these is they tend to either exclude people (in that you need the appropriate hardware and software) or they do not allow the freedom to use free text or they have post session accessibility issues. Therefore, the use of an SMS service, Twitter and word clouds will address the problems associated with large group presentations in a very low cost and effective manner. The following two scenarios illustrate the point.

A question that I'll ask during my session at the IWMW is what technologies do people use to co-author material with colleagues across dispersed teams? Of course I could have simply asked the question and written down the answers of a flip chart. The likelihood is that this would not have captured a large proportion of the room. Alternatively, I could use an audience response system, especially as I?m highly likely to be able to guess a majority of the responses. However, the aim of the question is to open up further discussion. This is something more difficult to design in with an audience response system. So what is my solution?

I'll ask people to respond to the question by either, texting their response to a mobile number (displayed on the presentation slide). Or update their tweeter account using the key term IWMW2008. Then I can use the twitter search facility recommended by the conference. After this I simply access the web page for the text responses and cut and paste into the tagcrowd.com word cloud generator. Within a minute I've visualised through word frequencies the key technologies being used in the room.

Another use will be to try to start discussions that can develop over time amongst the audience. I see my role very much to try to draw out experiences in the room in terms how they've been using Web 2.0 tools to more effectively work in teams. There will be lots of experience in the room, however, how can I encourage them to share this in a meaningful way? The answer is simple, the answer is Twitter.

Openness
It's so open it can't be closed?
Acceptability Criteria
The innovation meets the criteria of anyone using it because it uses freely available to all.
Additional notes
The test of the pudding is in the tasting - simply come along to my workshop.
Demonstration
The PowerPoint, with embedded results from the votes, tag clouds, etc. is available on Slideshare.
Submission Details
Submission received on 18th July 2008.

6. Search Scottish Institutions

Name and Affiliation
Brian Kelly, UKOLN
Title
Google Custom Search of Scottish University Web Sites
User Benefits
Useful for users who may wish to search across Scottish University Web sites.
Ease
It took about 2 minutes to set up the search - and slightly longer to write these notes!
Coolness!
It just works and could be set up very quickly. What could be cooler than that!
Background to the Work
This facility was set up as a demonstration of the ease with which a cross-searching service can be set up.
Openness
Anyone from a Scottish HEI who wishes to contribute additional Web sites to this search facility will be added as a contributor to the facility.
Acceptability Criteria
Aimed at the Scottish UK HEI community and developed for that community.
Additional notes
This approach could be used by the JISC Regional Support Centres to provide a simple means of finding content on Web sites within the region.
Demonstration
See the page on Google or the AJAX interface.
Submission Details
Description of submission added on 20 July 2008.

7. StudentViews

Name and Affiliation
Mike Ellis, Eduserv
Title
StudentViews
User Benefits
Students (in fact most users) aren't likely to be particularly interested in the corporate, preened and sanitised view of an HE institution. Instead, peer viewpoints, reviews, alumni pictures, video and Facebook comments are likely to be the first port of call for most freshers when considering which HE institution to apply for.
The StudentViews application will mash HE data with Flickr pictures of the institution and surrounding area within a quick, intuitive interface. Because the build will involve the gathering of institution data which should be freely and easily available to all, this data will also be exposed via a simple Web API.
Ease
The build should be straightforward - the data gathering and cleaning, however, will require considerable work...
Coolness!
Medium. About a Balti.
Background to the Work
University location and contact data is available via portals such as hero and UCAS but is not readily available via an open API for mashing.
Openness
Open and available via CC licence.
Acceptability Criteria
Developed for the competition / not specific to institution.
Additional notes
Demonstration
See <http://studentviews.net/sv/>
Submission Details
Submission received on 18th July 2008.

 

8. Live Train Departures info

Name and Affiliation
Dawn Petherick, Web Services Manager, University of Birmingham
Title
Live Train Departures info
User Benefits
Simple quick and easy access to the live train departures info from the University Station and Birmingham New Street. No need to go to Railtrack and enter in details of the station - its all done for you!
Ease
Uses Railtrack standard Web API to pull the data across into a portal channel. (techy info a but skimpy here but might be able to get more for tomorrow.) It was quick and easy to do.
Coolness!
 
Background to the Work
It had been on our 'whims' list for a while. We had a development window and wanted to 'just get on with something' without having to go through the usual project approval process and we think its a pretty useful tool.
Openness
Acceptability Criteria
Cos we did it just because we could and it was quick and its popular. It saves student/staff time and encourages staff use of the portal.
Additional notes
Demonstration
See screen shots: one, two, three and four,
Submission Details
Submission received on 18th July 2008.

9 Linearising My Non-Linear Presentation

Name and Affiliation
James Currall, University of Glasgow
Title
Linearising my non-linear presentation
User Benefits
Better accessibility.
Ease
A different transformation export from Compendium - dead easy.
Coolness!
'cos it says nuts to AndyP who doesn't like non-linear stuff
Background to the Work
Response to the Scribblelive blog feed.
Openness
Wide open.
Acceptability Criteria
Preferences are given to submissions which were (a) developed just for the competition - manifestly does (b) developed to support a wider community than just the host institution - anyone (even AndyP could use it).
Additional notes
Demonstration
See http://www.ukoln.ac.uk/web-focus/events/workshops/webmaster-2008/talks/currall/
Submission Details
Description of submission added on 23 July 2008.

10. The Facebook Debate

Name and Affiliation
Joe and Novac, UBC
Title
The Facebook debate
User Benefits
You can see how the debate over Facebook isn't restricted to the UK.
Ease
Flip camera plus glass of wine.
Coolness!
Background to the Work
Chatting away - let's capture the content.
Openness
CC licence
Acceptability Criteria
Done for the event, at the event
Additional notes
Demonstration
See <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g0-qym3z3iw>
Submission Details
Description of submission added on 24 July 2008.

11. A collaborative cross-institutional user-generated interactive mashup thing

Name and Affiliation
Debbie Nicholson, Claire Gibbons, Miles Banbery, Keith Brooke and David Williams
Title
A collaborative cross-institutional user-generated interactive mashup thing
User Benefits
An event needs a catchy song to bring people together.
Ease
A couple of bottles of JISC-provided whisky were needed
Coolness!
Background to the Work
An idea which had been simmering away since the final evening of drinbking at IWMW 2007.
Openness
CC licence
Acceptability Criteria
Done for the event, at the event
Additional notes
Based on an idea originally conceived at IWMW 2006
Demonstration
A recording of the song and accompanying lyrics is available on Zentation and VCasmo. It is also embedded below.
Submission Details
Description of submission added on 24 July 2008.

Deadline

The deadline for the competition was originally 11th July 2008. This was then extended to 18th July 2008. In addition, submissions may be made during the IWMW 2008 event itself. The winner was announced on the final day of the IWMW 2008 event on Thursday 24th July 2008.