Virtual Research Environments (VRE) are electronic meeting places for interaction among scientists created by combining software tools and computer networking. Virtual teams are enjoying increased importance in the conduct of scientific research because of the rising cost of traditional scientific scholarly communication, the growing importance of shared academic research by geographically dispersed scientific teams, and changes in the corporate research structures. New facilities provided by the Internet technology enhanced this situation. Currently, our knowledge about VRE-based scientific communication and what makes it effective is relatively immature in terms of understanding technology (interface, architecture, and software evaluation), system management (software systems, visualization, scalability), knowledge bases, expert systems, and coordination. Moreover, we do not have a comprehensive classification scheme for virtual research environments primarily from a technological viewpoint. This study provided an analysis of VRE from a technological standpoint and developed a conceptual model that identified factors facilitating collaboration effectiveness with a primary focus on technology. VRE portals were at the core of the investigation as they are the entry points for VRE related information and resource access. First, the study developed a methodological framework for characterizing VREs, applied that framework to examine and classify existing VRE systems, and developed a new classification. Then, the study established a relationship between the technological profiles of various types of VREs and their productivity. Study results show that the technological arrangements of the VRE neither depend upon scientific discipline nor the existing functional typology. The study did not identify a significant presence of communication and collaboration technologies within the VRE systems. However, results indicated that there were a correlation between communication and collaboration technologies and VRE effectiveness.

A significant number of scientific projects pursuing large scale, complex investigations involve dispersed research teams, which conduct a large part or their work virtually. Virtual Research Environments (VREs), cyberinfrastructure that facilitates coordinated activities amongst dispersed scientists, thus provide a rich context to study organizational evolution. Due to the constantly evolving nature of technologies, it is important to understand how teams of scientists, system developers, and managers respond to critical incidents. Critical events are organizational situations that trigger strategic decision making to adjust structure or redirect processes in order to maintain balance or improve an already functioning system. This study examines two prominent VREs: The United States Virtual Astronomical Observatory (US-VAO) and the HathiTrust Research Center (HTRC) in order to understand how these environments evolve through critical events and strategic choices. Communication perspectives lend themselves well to a study of VRE development and evolution because of the central role occupied by communication technologies in both the functionality and management of VREs. Using the grounded theory approach, this study uses organizational reports to trace how critical events and their resulting strategic choices shape these organizations over time. The study also explores how disciplinary demands influence critical events.

The aim of the study was to compile a conceptual model of a Virtual Research Environment (VRE) that indicates the relationship between Research Data Management (RDM) and VREs. The outcome of this study was that VREs are ideal platforms for the management of research data. In the first part of the study, a literature review was conducted by focusing on four themes: VREs and other concepts related to VREs; VRE components and tools; RDM; and the relationship between VREs and RDM. The first theme included a discussion of definitions of concepts, approaches to VREs, their development, aims, characteristics, similarities and differences of concepts, an overview of the e-Research approaches followed in this study, as well as an overview of concepts used in this study. The second theme consisted of an overview of developments of VREs in four countries (United Kingdom, USA, The Netherlands, and Germany), an indication of the differences and similarities of these programmes, and a discussion on the concept of research lifecycles, as well as VRE components. These components were then matched with possible tools, as well as to research lifecycle stages, which led to the development of a first conceptual VRE framework. The third theme included an overview of the definitions of the concepts ‘data’ and ‘research data’, as well as RDM and related concepts, an investigation of international developments with regards to RDM, an overview of the differences and similarities of approaches followed internationally, and a discussion of RDM developments in South Africa. This was followed by a discussion of the concept ‘research data lifecycles’, their various stages, corresponding processes and the roles various stakeholders can play in each stage. The fourth theme consisted of a discussion of the relationship between research lifecycles and research data lifecycles, a discussion on the role of RDM as a component within a VRE, the management of research data by means of a VRE, as well as the presentation of a possible conceptual model for the management of research data by means of a VRE. This literature review was conducted as a background and basis for this study. In the second part of the study, the research methodology was outlined. The chosen methodology entailed a non-empirical part consisting of a literature study, and an empirical part consisting of two case studies from a South African University. The two case studies were specifically chosen because each used different methods in conducting research. The one case study used natural science oriented data and laboratory/experimental methods, and the other, human orientated data and survey instruments. The proposed conceptual model derived from the literature study was assessed through these case studies and feedback received was used to modify and/or enhance the conceptual model. The contribution of this study lies primarily in the presentation of a conceptual VRE model with distinct component layers and generic components, which can be used as technological and collaborative frameworks for the successful management of research data. / Thesis (DPhil)--University of Pretoria, 2018. / National Research Foundation / Information Science / DPhil / Unrestricted

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This dissertation reports on an analysis conducted to establish the electronic research needs experienced by postgraduate students at higher education institutions within an increasing electronic research environment. Innovation and improvements in technology have caused research students to approach the library with a whole range of needs and expectations undreamed of in the nonelectronic library. A quantitative research instrument was mainly used to gather data, together with the results from a user survey. This study is therefore regarded as a quantitative study. From both the literature survey and research for this study it became clear that postgraduate students in South Africa and throughout the world experience similar e-research needs with regard to primary data sharing, transfer of data and computation, e-access, e-communication, e-training and e-publishing. By taking the specific needs of postgraduate students into account, the library will be able to create an electronic research environment distinguished by ease of use and access - the principal and most valued research partner in a postgraduate students’ pursuit of academic distinction and success. / Dissertation (M.Ed (Computer-integrated Education))--University of Pretoria, 2007. / Curriculum Studies / unrestricted

Le Center for Data Science de l’Université Paris-Saclay a déployé une plateforme compatible avec le Linked Data en 2016. Or, les chercheurs rencontrent face à ces technologies de nombreuses difficultés. Pour surmonter celles-ci, une approche et une plateforme appelée LinkedWiki, ont été conçues et expérimentées au-dessus du cloud de l’université (IAAS) pour permettre la création d’environnements virtuels de recherche (VRE) modulaires et compatibles avec le Linked Data. Nous avons ainsi pu proposer aux chercheurs une solution pour découvrir, produire et réutiliser les données de la recherche disponibles au sein du Linked Open Data, c’est-à-dire du système global d’information en train d’émerger à l’échelle du Web. Cette expérience nous a permis de montrer que l’utilisation opérationnelle du Linked Data au sein d’une université est parfaitement envisageable avec cette approche. Cependant, certains problèmes persistent, comme (i) le respect des protocoles du Linked Data et (ii) le manque d’outils adaptés pour interroger le Linked Open Data avec SPARQL. Nous proposons des solutions à ces deux problèmes. Afin de pouvoir vérifier le respect d’un protocole SPARQL au sein du Linked Data d’une université, nous avons créé l’indicateur SPARQL Score qui évalue la conformité des services SPARQL avant leur déploiement dans le système d’information de l’université. De plus, pour aider les chercheurs à interroger le LOD, nous avons implémenté le démonstrateur SPARQLets-Finder qui démontre qu’il est possible de faciliter la conception de requêtes SPARQL à l’aide d’outils d’autocomplétion sans connaissance préalable des schémas RDF au sein du LOD. / The Center for Data Science of the University of Paris-Saclay deployed a platform compatible with Linked Data in 2016. Because researchers face many difficulties utilizing these technologies, an approach and then a platform we call LinkedWiki were designed and tested over the university’s cloud (IAAS) to enable the creation of modular virtual search environments (VREs) compatible with Linked Data. We are thus able to offer researchers a means to discover, produce and reuse the research data available within the Linked Open Data, i.e., the global information system emerging at the scale of the internet. This experience enabled us to demonstrate that the operational use of Linked Data within a university is perfectly possible with this approach. However, some problems persist, such as (i) the respect of protocols and (ii) the lack of adapted tools to interrogate the Linked Open Data with SPARQL. We propose solutions to both these problems. In order to be able to verify the respect of a SPARQL protocol within the Linked Data of a university, we have created the SPARQL Score indicator which evaluates the compliance of the SPARQL services before their deployments in a university’s information system. In addition, to help researchers interrogate the LOD, we implemented a SPARQLets-Finder, a demonstrator which shows that it is possible to facilitate the design of SPARQL queries using autocompletion tools without prior knowledge of the RDF schemas within the LOD.

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