The Langer Lab is looking for a document management system and a knowledge management system for their lab

Problem

1. Document Management

They have a large number of researchers (130 staff + 30 urops) who have large data sets and images as part of their research. This information is often stored on their laptops and TSM is not always used to back up data. Backups currently exist on thumbdrives or on DVDs.

The data gathered sometimes has IP considerations and cannot be freely shared amongst researchers in the lab.

Robert Langer would like access to the data and images when he is writing proposals and papers. Currently email is used to gather the information.

Proposals often are co-written with other professors at MIT and outside of MIT. Currently no suitable solution for co-writing proposals that includes version control and ability to attach large documents has been found.

Suggestions for DM include Xythos,Basecamp

2. Knowledge Management

As researchers perform experiments a large amount of knowledge regarding use of equipment and other subtle aspects of the lab is not documented anywhere.
Thus when researchers leave a large piece of knowledge leaves with them. As suitable solution for capturing and documenting the knowledge to allow for easy reference later has not yet been found.

Suggestions for KM has included BioKM

Questions

 1. Are their other labs facing similar problems?
 2. Can we recommend any suitable solutions?





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2 Comments

  1. Oliver Thomas

    • Questions:
      • How large are the individual files in these data sets and pictures?
      • Are all the users who need to access files members of the MIT community?
      • Does each researcher need individual control over who can or cannot see her files, or would the lab as a whole manage access to different areas?
    • It sounds like there are really three different needs identified above:
      1. Document management for the lab
      2. Collaborative writing/editing on proposals with outside researchers
      3. Knowledge management procedures, processes, and tools
    • Possible options:
      • MIT does not have any central services that are designed to specifically meet these needs; although there may be other labs facing similar problems it is unlikely that there will be a near-term central service developed to solve it (nor is it likely that agreement on features and requirements will be quick or easy to arrive at)
      • Labs tend to deploy their own or use existing services that have some of the features they want/need
      • Central services that have some of the needed features:
        • Wiki service
          From a features perspective probably the best match; allows for all necessary access restrictions, outside accounts and participants, and creation of arbitrary structure to support document storage and knowledge management; possible showstopper limitation is a central per-file size limit of 50MB; this limit can not be adjuster on a per-customer basis
        • Thalia
          Allows upload, access control of data files and images, as well as setting access controls; interface is flash based and difficult to use; strong image focus; unclear what the file size limit is
        • Using a Stellar course or project site
          Familiar interface and supports larger attachment sizes (250MB); allows access for non-MIT users via Touchstone; will need to work within the course/class structure presented by Stellar
        • AFS
          Large files are possible; access controls are more difficult to manage, and non-MIT access controls especially (may require issuing guest accounts); limited to HTML flat-file functionality; rudimentary document upload/download capabilities; no versioning, etc.
        • DIY
          DLC always has the option to run their own solution, and only have the server hosting managed centrally at the normal co-lo rates; high local administrative overhead and requires someone in DLC with IT administration skills

    A few thoughts about the others listed:

    • Xythos is very popular in higher education; while it is available as a stand-alone server product that could be run on a DLC server hosted in our data centers, it is also available via a SaaS model through http://www.xythosondemand.com/ at monthly rates; may be a good way to use/try for a small lab; note that for 100+ users the monthly rate will be in the high hundreds of dollars; total storage for those plans tends to be in the 100+ GB; since it's all external user accounts, there would be a lot of flexibility around issuing accounts to who needs them
    • Basecamp not really a document management system, but may be able to do some of that; rates are cheaper than Xythos, but app is built around project collaboration and management

    For any of these commercial off-site solutions the DLC should probably work with the OGC if serious about pursuing; custom contracts will probably be necessary for MIT to feel comfortable about hosting research and student data with a third party.

    1. Ranjani Saigal

      Thanks Oliver for your very thoughtful reply. What about ideas on Knowledge Management?  They wanted to know if a "Hermes" like model could be implemented for their lab.