Euro-BioImaging Preparatory Phase II Project

Transcription

1 Euro-BioImaging Preparatory Phase II Project Web access portal running with all features, including links to the EuBI nodes' online resources Project N Project Title Euro-BioImaging Preparatory Phase II Project Acronym EuBI PPII Associated Work Package WP5 Associated Task Task 5.4, Task 5.5 Lead Beneficiary (short name) ABO Nature Websites, patents filling, etc. Dissemination Level Public Estimated Delivery Date (Grant Agreement, Annex I) 31/10/2017 Actual Delivery Date 04/12/2018 Task leader Pasi Kankaanpää (WP Manager) Contributors John Eriksson (WP5 Lead) Athresh Shigaval (IT planner) Umesh Satyal (Web developer) Funded by the Horizon 2020 Framework Program of the European Union Web access portal running with all features, including links to the EuBI nodes' online

2 Abstract This deliverable publishes a demonstration URL of the Euro-BioImaging (EuBI) Web Portal, which will be publically launched when the EuBI ERIC becomes operational (currently foreseen for Spring 2019). The EuBI Web Portal will become the main online presence of EuBI, incorporating the EuBI website, the Interim Web Access Portal and the final web access portal into a single, integrated online user experience. The portal is under development until it is launched, but it is already running with most of the features initially foreseen, and with several additional features and characteristics not initially foreseen. The EuBI Web Portal features a new logo and visual design, a modern landing page with a background video and current events, an imaging technology access workflow with an interactive map search tool and dedicated Node pages, and numerous information pages with online forms where applicable, for instance for new technology reporting. The portal also contains the first EuBI training course portfolio, access to EuBI data services, and the Admin panel, which allows users and staff to conduct e.g. application management, web content management, moderation activities and communication. The portal has an extensive automated primary database, and utilizes Elixir AAI to allow users to login with their existing credentials, without needing separate usernames or passwords for EuBI. The portal is currently undergoing testing, content production and continuous further development. Table of Contents 1. Introduction Page 3 2. Euro-BioImaging URLs, and creating an integrated web experience Page 3 3. Summary of central Euro-BioImaging Web Portal features Page 5 4. Concluding remarks Page 11 Web access portal running with all features, including links to the EuBI nodes' online 2

3 1. Introduction WP5 is responsible for the technical preparations for user access in Euro-BioImaging (EuBI), especially through the development of a web-based access portal, which is to be the central entry-point to all EuBI services. There have been delays in establishing the EuBI ERIC, and a subsequent cost-neutral extension of EuBI PPII. While these delays have nothing to do with WP5, they have enabled WP5 to rearrange its work so as to better serve the upcoming ERIC and to develop EuBI web services in a more comprehensive manner than initially foreseen. Accordingly, the last two deliverables of WP5, of which this is the first one, were re-scheduled from 2017 to 2018, and the extended work has been supplemented with in kind contributions by the WP5 key participants. WP5 has already previously undergone some rearrangements, a significant example being that a simpler Interim Web Access Portal was constructed first, to enable voluntary interim operation of EuBI and to serve as grounds for testing and developing the EuBI access procedures. While the interim portal was in use, development continued in the background for the full portal, based in part on the ARIA portal of Instruct (now Instruct-ERIC), with which WP5 established a developer-level collaboration agreement. The full portal is now being finalized for launch, to take place when EuBI ERIC starts its operation. Partly during the cost-neutral extension of PPII, several further developments have taken place, beyond what was previously foreseen for WP5/PPII. For instance: Website and web access portal functionalities were combined to a single, new portal that enables a more seamless user experience A new logo and visual appearance was created for EuBI and the new portal An interactive map was created for technology and location browsing and selection, to replace the previous simpler flag-concept. Advanced user authentication and authorization infrastructure (Elixir AAI) was implemented to allow users to login with existing credentials and not needing a separate username and password for EuBI Active participation was undertaken in the development of a common authentication and authorization infrastructure for all life sciences, and preparations were started for future implementation of the infrastructure in EuBI Modifications to portal functionality and documentation were made to meet the requirements of EU s new General Data Protection Regulation The main content of this deliverable is the URL of the new Euro-BioImaging Web Portal, supplemented by related URLs and explanations in this document. 2. Euro-BioImaging URLs, and creating an integrated web experience Initially, WP5 was foreseen to construct a web-based access portal that would complement an EuBI website. However, as work progressed, it was realized that for a good and intuitive user experience there should only be a single web portal, which would seamlessly combine website Web access portal running with all features, including links to the EuBI nodes' online 3

4 and access portal functionality. Even though the two are rather different in nature and combining them is not simple (the reason being that the access portal component includes a complex and multifunctional back-end) there was sufficient time to create the new portal, because EuBI ERIC was delayed. The EuBI Hub host candidates reasoned that the opportunity should be taken to create the best possible web experience for the future EuBI, and WP5 therefore spent a considerable amount of time and resources to renew the EuBI logo and visual appearance and to create a new and modern look for the new portal, focusing also on usability for both staff and users. After exploring multiple options, the design work was outsourced to C2 Advertising ( While it was intended that implementing the new design on the portal would also be outsourced, the portal back-end turned out to be so complex that this was not possible. WP5 therefore focused all possible resources to fully program the new design in-house. Currently, EuBI is still in interim operation, and its online presence consists of the older EuBI website ( and the Interim Web Access Portal ( These two have now been combined together with the new, partly ARIA-based web access portal back-end, to form the future single online presence of EuBI, the Euro-BioImaging Web Portal (Figure 1). This new portal is already up and running, but not yet public, as it will only be launched once the EuBI ERIC becomes operational. The new portal is currently undergoing finalization of some features, testing, and content production. A demonstration version of the portal is currently (October 2018) available here: Remarks regarding this URL: At some point this URL will cease to work, and the new portal will be moved under the URL This is not possible yet, because the old EuBI website must remain online at the current URL until EuBI ERIC is operational. (It is not feasible to launch the new portal before ERIC operation, because with the change of the legal status of EuBI come numerous technical and content changes that would entail redundant work and several weeks of downtime for EuBI online presence. In addition, launching the portal and the ERIC operations at the same time gives more visibility to the ERIC launch itself.) The launch procedure will be described in more detail in the upcoming final deliverable of WP5, D5.5. As the new portal is undergoing changes and updates until its launch, the content of this URL may change, some functionality may occasionally be unavailable or the portal may occasionally be offline. This URL is a demonstration URL, for which login is not possible. There is a separate testing URL of the same portal, for which login will work during the times when testing rounds are ongoing. As the testing URL is used for active daily development and R&D for new ideas for upcoming years, many parts of it are constantly changing or may be unavailable at any given time. The demonstration URL is somewhat more stable and more likely to remain in roughly the same condition longer, which is why it is the URL published in this deliverable. Before the portal is launched, anyone wishing to explore those parts of the portal that are behind the login functionality, beyond what is described in this deliverable, Web access portal running with all features, including links to the EuBI nodes' online 4

5 may contact the development team through and the team will attempt to arrange a testing possibility in conjunction with some of the upcoming testing rounds. Optimization for mobile use has not yet been done; it will be completed last before the launch of the portal. Figure 1. The new Euro-BioImaging Web Portal is an amalgamation of the current EuBI website, the Interim Web Access Portal and the ARIA-based web access portal back-end. 3. Summary of central Euro-BioImaging Web Portal features Landing page The main page of the portal features a simplistic design and a neutral background video created by C2 advertising for EuBI. EuBI services have been grouped into three categories: Technologies, Training and Data, which are always accessible from the top menu, together with About us, which houses a lot of the other visible content of the portal. There is also a Current activities section that shows activities in three categories: News, Meetings and Training. Below that is the social media feed and contact information and form. (Please note that the contact addresses listed are not yet in use, and the social media feed and contact form do not work in this demonstration version of the portal. Until the launch of the portal, all contacts should be addressed to helpdesk@eurobioimaging-interim.eu.) Technologies An interactive map tool shows EuBI members and technology service locations, and can be used to explore the services of any EuBI member. Once something is selected, available services appear below the map, from where they can be selected for an access proposal, or further information of either the technology or the Node can be viewed. Node pages contain information specific for each Node, provided by the Node, and link(s) to the Node s resources, when available. Web access portal running with all features, including links to the EuBI nodes' online 5

6 It should be noted, that at this point only sample Nodes and sample information are displayed on the portal, as the selection of Nodes available at the time when EuBI ERIC begins its operation is not yet known. Node information and pages will be updated before the launch of the portal. Completing a technology access proposal requires logging in to the portal, and while the entire workflow is functional and currently being tested, it can therefore not be seen in the URL provided. Figure 2 shows an example of a later stage of the workflow. Figure 2. An example of what the portal looks like when the user is logged in, showing here the second step of submitting a technology access proposal. When the user is logged in, the login button changes to a logout button, and an additional access menu appears, with items for accessing different services and the Admin panel (see Admin panel below). Training EuBI training activities were defined by WP7, which envisioned rather complex and extensive training functionality for the web portal. No suitable modules were available in the ARIA backbone, so WP5 created a new training workflow from scratch. Because this workflow is as complex and detailed as the technology access workflow, it was decided at the time when the work of WP7 became available, that launching the full training functionality in the portal should not be rushed. The well-defined training functionality was seen as so important for EuBI, that it should be properly developed first. Certain other features, such as authorization and authentication functionality were prioritized instead. Currently, about half of the training workflow has been programmed, and the design for it has been created. The key features of the training functionality are described in figures 3-7 below. The full training module will be completed as top priority after EuBI ERIC becomes operational. However, the web portal does Web access portal running with all features, including links to the EuBI nodes' online 6

7 already have basic training functionality, which will be available at the time of its launch, namely the possibility to create and display training events, and a course portfolio. Figure 3. The EuBI training workflow. Web access portal running with all features, including links to the EuBI nodes' online 7

8 Figure 4. Design wireframe of the training portfolio search engine. Figure 5. Design wireframe of the view of a training site and its courses. Web access portal running with all features, including links to the EuBI nodes' online 8

9 Figure 6. Design wireframe of the Access training screen where the user can see a list of their own training applications and their possible own training sites. Figure 7. Some activities of the training module are operated in the Admin panel. Data EuBI general data services consist of two main entities: the IDR (Image Data Resource) and the ITR (Image Tool Resource), developed by WP6. The EuBI Web Portal provides access to both. For IDR, a simple integration is also provided in the form of embedded viewers that can be set up to show datasets of relevance to EuBI and its technology offering. For ITR, work is currently ongoing to implement its whole user interface under the portal, and a prototype of this integration is already available. Currently, there are no additional general EuBI data services. The development of any further such services will be done in close collaboration with the web portal team, to make Web access portal running with all features, including links to the EuBI nodes' online 9

10 sure that these services can be integrated to the portal as applicable, and access to them can be offered through the portal to EuBI users. About us This section contains general information about EuBI, as well as information and links to Global BioImaging and the EuBI Industry Board. Various documents of interest are provided in the Document gallery, and there are dedicated sections also for Quality management, Press material and Frequently asked questions. An important section here is New technologies, as EuBI aims to be able to dynamically update its imaging technology portfolio. This section contains online forms e.g. for submitting a new technology proposal, reporting on new technology showcasing, and expressing interest to use a new technology. When EuBI ERIC will be ready to proceed with new technologies from showcasing to proof-of-concept studies and beyond, online forms will become available also for e.g. reporting a proof-of-concept study and submitting an evaluation of a new technology. Admin panel Most activities in the portal that require login are in the Admin panel (Figures 7-8), which has been modified for EuBI purposes from the ARIA Admin panel, with attention paid to usability. For instance, everyone can use the Admin panel to manage their own profile and access proposals and send messages to others, scientific reviewers and Nodes can use it to evaluate access proposals, and the EuBI Hub staff can use it to administer various EuBI activities. Importantly, the Admin panel also provides access to the portal s content management system (Figure 8), which enables changing and updating various information on the portal, depending on the person s user rights. For instance, Node contact persons may use it to update information on their Node page, and EuBI Hub staff can use it to add Current events or edit the information content on numerous pages. The content management system also allows moderation, so that for instance an edit done by a Node can be checked by the Hub before it becomes public. The content management system is an important link between the web access portal and website functionalities of the Euro-BioImaging Web Portal. Web access portal running with all features, including links to the EuBI nodes' online 10

11 Figure 8. The Euro-BioImaging Web Portal Admin panel, showing here a view from the content management system (see also figure 7). Databases Directly linked to the EuBI Web Portal is a primary database, which resides on the same server at the University of Turku in Finland where the portal itself is hosted. The database currently consists of 217 tables, and contains for instance user profiles, the database for EuBI services, access proposals, and feedback results. The database is automatically updated when users use the web portal in different ways, and it can be queried when EuBI staff needs statistics or other information. In addition, EuBI has a secondary database, which is updated manually by the web portal administration, and includes data not directly linked with the EuBI Web Portal, such as interim operation access proposals. Authentication and authorization infrastructure (AAI) Initially, the web portal was foreseen to use its own simple user authentication system (user name and password). However, it was decided that for overall usability, a better system should be developed, enabling users to login with their existing credentials and not needing yet another user name and password just for EuBI. WP5 therefore opted to use Elixir AAI ( for user identification. After numerous tests and development with the Elixir AAI test version, the Elixir AAI production version has now been implemented in the portal and is being tested. Elixir AAI allows users to login with their existing institutional credentials. Importantly, common AAI for all life sciences, Life Science AAI ( is also being developed, and will probably become available as a follow-up to Elixir AAI. The EuBI Web Portal team has seen this development as very important for the future of European life science online services, and has therefore become an active participant in the LS AAI cosortium, and one of the test users. EuBI is likely to become one of the first users of LS AAI, enabling life scientists across Europe to access EuBI services easily. WP5 has especially worked on the aspect that authentication would be possible also with social sign-on options, such as a Google account, thus enabling easier access also to industrial users and others that may not have university credentials or similar. General Data Protection Regulation As EU s new General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) has come into effect in 2018, several updates and changes have been done to the EuBI Web Portal accordingly. These updates include the documents Privacy policy and Terms and conditions, and a GDPR notice and permissions query to be displayed at first login. Relevant functionality in the portal has also been developed or altered, to meet GDPR requirements. 4. Concluding remarks The features of the new portal are extensive and cover nearly all of the functionality envisioned when PPII was started. Some features are still less developed, and not everything will be available when the portal launches, but there are also numerous extra features not initially foreseen. The available features and development priorities reflect the overall development of EuBI and its Web access portal running with all features, including links to the EuBI nodes' online 11

12 resources during the last few years. Overall, significantly more features have been added or developed further, than what have undergone reduced development, and the new portal should provide everything necessary for EuBI ERIC to successfully start its operation. Currently, the portal is up and running, and undergoing testing, fixing and content production. Before the end of Preparatory Phase II, it will be tested by e.g. the Hub host candidates, and testing of the portal will be reported on in D5.5. Web access portal running with all features, including links to the EuBI nodes' online 12