GREI HDV Task: Determine whether/how Dataverse can support hierarchical vocabularies

[cmbz]

Overview

• Determine whether/how Dataverse can support hierarchical vocabularies

Deliverable

• Defining what hierarchal support means for DV/HDV. What would this look like for DV? What are the goals and how do we know that a solution meets those goals?

Then either:

• Confirmation that Dataverse can currently provide hierarchical vocabulary support, or
• Documentation describing how to implement hierarchical vocabulary support in Dataverse

Resources

• Project: NIH GREI - Generalist Repository Ecosystem Initiative #124
• GREI 2: HDV Task - Improve Dataverse Biomedical Metadata Support #174

[sbarbosadataverse]

Sonia and Julian met and discussed additional steps to getting this task done. See updates to "deliverables" above. Julian estimates he can devote time to this issue in mid September

[cmbz]

2024/08/05

• Stefano reports that Jim indicated that the Dataverse script for external vocabularies can support hierarchical vocabularies, but work will be needed to store the data properly in Dataverse.
• Gustavo indicates that the internal vocabulary does not currently support hierarchies. Discussion happened, but implementation did not progress. Design work would needed to implement support.
• September: @qqmyers @jggautier and @scolapasta will meet to discuss options and possibilities.

[qqmyers]

I think I said the opposite - with the external vocab mechanism, Dataverse just stores a term URI, so there are no changes needed to support a hierarchical vocabulary - all the changes would be in the JavaScript (to be developed for a give vocabulary/service) where it should be simple to find a widget/mirror what other sites do, etc. to handle hierarchy or graph relations, etc.)

[cmbz]

Thanks @qqmyers for clarifying. @siacus and @scolapasta please see Jim's comment for an update to our understanding about hierarchical vocab support.

[cmbz]

2024/11/18: Ask @qqmyers to take a look, recommend next steps (e.g., development work needed), create relevant development issues.

[qqmyers]

I'd suggest some ~non-dev work to start:

• pick a vocab to start with, UMLS, or MeSH
• see if there is a service or repository where we can get the official values in the repository and or where we can link to to provide more info about a term (as we point to a user's ORCID profile)
• find an example/do a mockup of what navigating the vocabulary should look like
• assure that all we want/need for now is hierarchical navigation (versus, for example, needed to navigate to related terms elsewhere in the hierarchy)
• define how the term should be displayed - by itself? as part of a hierarchy of parent terms?
• define where the term will be added to Dataverse, i.e. which field in which block (note - making it one type of thing that goes in the citation keyword field makes development somewhat more complex than if its a separate field, e.g. in the HEAL block or elsewhere)
• identify if/where the term should go in the various metadata exports we have. (OAI-ORE and our JSON are trivial, the question is more about DataCite, DDI, etc.)

With the answers above, I think it should be straight-forward to scope the JavaScript work needed to support the input and display, identify whether there's work related to a new metadata block, whether updates are needed to exporters, etc.

[cmbz]

@jggautier and @sbarbosadataverse do you have suggestions for the first bullet points Jim suggested here: #236 (comment) ?

[jggautier]

Hmm, I'll try to think about it and reply later today

[cmbz]

2024/11/21: Placing On Hold until @sbarbosadataverse and @jggautier figure out which vocabulary they want to investigate.