Ideas for Developing the CellML Community Using Cellml.org and Other Internet-based Technologies

Gareth's ideas & requirements:

• what is the objective/goal of the CellML site?

*Disseminate content and tools related to CellML, form a focal point, or a 'virtual commons' for the CellML community. *

What content?

Generalised CellML-related Information: the CellML spec and related amenities (i.e. an annotated version of the spec providing examples and explaining/clarifying complex parts.), how-to's and best practice guides, descriptions of CellML project progress - milestones, current developments, roadmaps, meeting minutes etc, descriptions of related groups and projects - user generated content.

Tools: links to tools that are built around or support CellML. Detailed descriptions of such tools that we have access to detailed information about. Documentation and tutorials for these tools.

Repository and Models: models, all associated documentation, metadata and annotation. Systems for commenting and discussing models. Systems for tracking modification history - who did what and when - and use of models as components in other models (reuse) - CellML 1.1

Workspaces: generalised workspaces for CellML users, developers, modellers. Use of Git decentralised file management, versioning & information architecture system.

• at which audience(s) is the site aimed

Those who are already convinced: current CellML users, tool developers, modellers

Those who are in the wider modelling community and may be convinced to use CellML instead of, say, MATLAB, FORTRAN, SBML, etc. Competitors. - perhaps researchers whose models we have coded into CellML and put up on the website.

People who may be interested for other reasons - those who aren't in the field.

• what typical tasks or use-cases would expects these audiences to carry out on the CellML site, e.g: collaborator/researcher, PhD candidate

• content audit

  • what content does the site currently host?
  • what content is missing?
  • group the results of the content audit into a useful information architecture, that allows your target audiences to easily navigate the site and effectively retrieve information. Don't just rely on yoru search function

• Moderation of content

  • who should be in charge or moderating existing content
  • who is in charge of creating or commissioning new content

• site visual identity: logo, branding, templates, partner sites and organisations

Scope:

This document will collate some ideas on how to increase community representation and participation in the CellML community. Specifically, the use cellml.org website and the CellML discussion/collaboration technologies currently in use, such as email lists, trackers and wikis, will be covered. Some suggestions will then be made on how the proposed ideas might be prioritised and implemented.

by James Lawson, 23/08/07

Create a mailing list about curation of biocomputational model repositories.

Allow meeting minutes from other groups to be posted on cellml.org

*Devote a portion of the site to user generated content from other groups that are involved with CellML. *

This will include, firstly, information about their research and research group, including information on individuals if they wish to display this on cellml.org (we could just link to their own 'people' page, but I personally believe it would be not only a nice gesture aimed at encouraging a sense of community, but also a useful resource.

Secondly, if this is successful, we could allow other groups to put up their own roadmaps, information about development of their own software tools, etc.

*A call for CellML models. *