EDINA
Encyclopedia
EDINA is a UK-based data centre (funded by the Joint Information Systems Committee
- JISC), which provides data applications delivered over the Internet
and aimed primarily at Higher Education
staff and students in the United Kingdom
.
(In this context, a "data centre" is an organisation that provides a set of specific datasets which can either be downloaded, or accessed and manipulated directly over the Internet. The two other main UK-based data centres are MIMAS
and the UKDA.)
It also conducts research and development (R&D) projects into the delivery of data across networks.
Although funded at a national level, EDINA operates through the University of Edinburgh
, where it is a division of Information Services.
Front-end services fall broadly into the following categories
In addition to front-end services, EDINA provide middleware
services, which provide connections between various other data applications across the UK Higher Education computing sector. EDINA also provides infrastructure and support for the UK Access Management Federation.
The projects fall broadly into the following categories:
Researchers at the University of Edinburgh
working with and data from government surveys were looking to the University to provide university-wide provision for files which were too large to be stored on individual computing accounts. Arrangements for the University Library to purchase the small area statistics from the 1981 Population Census became the opportunity to petition action by the Program Library Unit (PLU) - which had both local responsibility for software provision and a national role to convert software for various computing platforms for UK universities. The PLU was also active in the design and implementation of the code for SASPAC, the program used widely for the extraction of census data, as part of a project led by David Rhind of Durham University.
In response, the Data Library was formed as a small group within the PLU led by Trevor Jones plus 1.5 staff: use of a programmer and a computing assistant. Peter Burnhill took over full-time responsibility in 1984. Early holdings were the 1981 UK population census, and research data from the universities of Edinburgh
, Glasgow
and Strathclyde
.
Geographic information was a focus from the beginning, as the Data Library worked with researcher Jack Hotson to convert parish-based agricultural census data to grid square estimates. This allowed detailed visualisation of land use across the UK.
A collaboration with the Department of Geography saw the establishment of the Regional Research Laboratory for Scotland, focusing on quantitative techniques in the Social Sciences. Soon afterwards followed SALSER, a serials index bringing together libraries from the thirteen Scottish universities, the National Library of Scotland
and the two major civic libraries of Edinburgh
and Glasgow
. SALSER remains heavily used to this day, providing public access to important specialist serials collections.
Links to the research community were cemented by the RAPID project, which linked research activity to the output of other work funded by the Economic and Social Research Council. Uniquely, RAPID included not only conventional monograph and journal publications, but also new types of research output such as software, datasets and learning materials. Reusable components for self-paced learning were to become an integral part of the department's role a few years later.
Such projects built up a wealth of knowledge within the Data Library, and a breadth of subject which was to serve it well for the most important event in its history - the launch of the EDINA national data centre in 1995/96. Along with BIDS (acquired by ingenta
in 1998) at the University of Bath
and MIDAS (now Mimas
) at the University of Manchester
, the Edinburgh University Data Library was chosen as a JISC-funded centre for the provision of data services to the entire UK academic community.
EDINA's new services included bibliographic indexes such as BIOSIS and Ei Compendex, which helped with literature searches, and UKBORDERS, which filled a gap in census, political and postal boundary data. The Digimap
service, launched in 2000, continues to provide access to a number of national geospatial data sets including Ordnance Survey GB maps and data, historical Ordnance Survey GB maps and maps and data of UK geology and hydrographic and other marine environments. SUNCAT
, the Serials Union Catalogue for the UK research community became a freely available EDINA service in 2006, and contains data from scores of UK research libraries, including the British Library and the National Libraries of Scotland and Wales.
With the launch of EDINA, the Data Library had to be redefined to continue its local remit, distinct from the national services. Donald Morse took on the role of manager of the new Local Services team, and Joan Fairgrieve became the University's first Data Librarian.
Currently, Peter Burnhill is Director of EDINA and head of the Data Library Services Division of the University of Edinburgh Information Services. Robin Rice serves as Data Librarian, Stuart Macdonald as Associate Data Librarian, and Anne Donnelly as Assistant Data Librarian
Joint Information Systems Committee
JISC is a United Kingdom non-departmental public body whose role is to support post-16 and higher education and research by providing leadership in the use of ICT in learning, teaching, research and administration...
- JISC), which provides data applications delivered over the Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
and aimed primarily at Higher Education
Higher education
Higher, post-secondary, tertiary, or third level education refers to the stage of learning that occurs at universities, academies, colleges, seminaries, and institutes of technology...
staff and students in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
(In this context, a "data centre" is an organisation that provides a set of specific datasets which can either be downloaded, or accessed and manipulated directly over the Internet. The two other main UK-based data centres are MIMAS
Mimas (data centre)
Mimas is a nationally designated academic data centre based at The University of Manchester in the United Kingdom. Its role is to support the advancement of knowledge, powering world-class research and teaching....
and the UKDA.)
It also conducts research and development (R&D) projects into the delivery of data across networks.
Although funded at a national level, EDINA operates through the University of Edinburgh
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh, founded in 1583, is a public research university located in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The university is deeply embedded in the fabric of the city, with many of the buildings in the historic Old Town belonging to the university...
, where it is a division of Information Services.
Services
EDINA front-end services (those accessed directly by the user) are available free at the point of use for students and academic staff in the UK working on and off campus. Access to most services involves licence or subscription by universities and colleges, and requires some form of authentication by end users. Some services are also provided to researchers beyond the UK academic sector.Front-end services fall broadly into the following categories
- Geospatial data (including DigimapDigimapDigimap is a web mapping and online data delivery service developed by the EDINA national data centre for UK academia. It offers a range of on-line mapping and data download facilities which provide maps and spatial data from Ordnance Survey, British Geological Survey, and Ltd....
, UKBORDERS, Go-Geo!, ShareGeo and Unlock) - Multimedia collections (including JISC Mediahub)
- Bibliographic data (including SUNCATSUNCATThe Serials Union Catalogue, or SUNCAT, is a freely available source of information about serials holdings in the United Kingdom, for the UK research community....
and SALSER) - Repository services (including OpenDepot.org and Jorum)
- e-Books (including the Statistical Accounts of Scotland Online Service)
In addition to front-end services, EDINA provide middleware
Middleware
Middleware is computer software that connects software components or people and their applications. The software consists of a set of services that allows multiple processes running on one or more machines to interact...
services, which provide connections between various other data applications across the UK Higher Education computing sector. EDINA also provides infrastructure and support for the UK Access Management Federation.
Projects
EDINA undertakes and engages in projects geared to development activities which inform and develop the operation of EDINA national services, either producing new services or improvement in existing services. These are generally externally-funded and often in partnership with other institutions.The projects fall broadly into the following categories:
- Geo-spatial
- Bibliographic Service
- Multimedia
- Continuing Access and Digital Preservation
- Infrastructure
History
EDINA has its origin in Edinburgh University Data Library which was set up in 1983/4.Researchers at the University of Edinburgh
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh, founded in 1583, is a public research university located in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The university is deeply embedded in the fabric of the city, with many of the buildings in the historic Old Town belonging to the university...
working with and data from government surveys were looking to the University to provide university-wide provision for files which were too large to be stored on individual computing accounts. Arrangements for the University Library to purchase the small area statistics from the 1981 Population Census became the opportunity to petition action by the Program Library Unit (PLU) - which had both local responsibility for software provision and a national role to convert software for various computing platforms for UK universities. The PLU was also active in the design and implementation of the code for SASPAC, the program used widely for the extraction of census data, as part of a project led by David Rhind of Durham University.
In response, the Data Library was formed as a small group within the PLU led by Trevor Jones plus 1.5 staff: use of a programmer and a computing assistant. Peter Burnhill took over full-time responsibility in 1984. Early holdings were the 1981 UK population census, and research data from the universities of Edinburgh
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh, founded in 1583, is a public research university located in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The university is deeply embedded in the fabric of the city, with many of the buildings in the historic Old Town belonging to the university...
, Glasgow
University of Glasgow
The University of Glasgow is the fourth-oldest university in the English-speaking world and one of Scotland's four ancient universities. Located in Glasgow, the university was founded in 1451 and is presently one of seventeen British higher education institutions ranked amongst the top 100 of the...
and Strathclyde
University of Strathclyde
The University of Strathclyde , Glasgow, Scotland, is Glasgow's second university by age, founded in 1796, and receiving its Royal Charter in 1964 as the UK's first technological university...
.
Geographic information was a focus from the beginning, as the Data Library worked with researcher Jack Hotson to convert parish-based agricultural census data to grid square estimates. This allowed detailed visualisation of land use across the UK.
A collaboration with the Department of Geography saw the establishment of the Regional Research Laboratory for Scotland, focusing on quantitative techniques in the Social Sciences. Soon afterwards followed SALSER, a serials index bringing together libraries from the thirteen Scottish universities, the National Library of Scotland
National Library of Scotland
The National Library of Scotland is the legal deposit library of Scotland and is one of the country's National Collections. It is based in a collection of buildings in Edinburgh city centre. The headquarters is on George IV Bridge, between the Old Town and the university quarter...
and the two major civic libraries of Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
and Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
. SALSER remains heavily used to this day, providing public access to important specialist serials collections.
Links to the research community were cemented by the RAPID project, which linked research activity to the output of other work funded by the Economic and Social Research Council. Uniquely, RAPID included not only conventional monograph and journal publications, but also new types of research output such as software, datasets and learning materials. Reusable components for self-paced learning were to become an integral part of the department's role a few years later.
Such projects built up a wealth of knowledge within the Data Library, and a breadth of subject which was to serve it well for the most important event in its history - the launch of the EDINA national data centre in 1995/96. Along with BIDS (acquired by ingenta
Ingenta
Founded in 1998, Ingenta provided technology and associated services to the publishing and information industries. Its software enables scholarly, financial and business publishers to make content available to online institutional and individual end users, under a variety of business models.In...
in 1998) at the University of Bath
University of Bath
The University of Bath is a campus university located in Bath, United Kingdom. It received its Royal Charter in 1966....
and MIDAS (now Mimas
Mimas (data centre)
Mimas is a nationally designated academic data centre based at The University of Manchester in the United Kingdom. Its role is to support the advancement of knowledge, powering world-class research and teaching....
) at the University of Manchester
University of Manchester
The University of Manchester is a public research university located in Manchester, United Kingdom. It is a "red brick" university and a member of the Russell Group of research-intensive British universities and the N8 Group...
, the Edinburgh University Data Library was chosen as a JISC-funded centre for the provision of data services to the entire UK academic community.
EDINA's new services included bibliographic indexes such as BIOSIS and Ei Compendex, which helped with literature searches, and UKBORDERS, which filled a gap in census, political and postal boundary data. The Digimap
Digimap
Digimap is a web mapping and online data delivery service developed by the EDINA national data centre for UK academia. It offers a range of on-line mapping and data download facilities which provide maps and spatial data from Ordnance Survey, British Geological Survey, and Ltd....
service, launched in 2000, continues to provide access to a number of national geospatial data sets including Ordnance Survey GB maps and data, historical Ordnance Survey GB maps and maps and data of UK geology and hydrographic and other marine environments. SUNCAT
SUNCAT
The Serials Union Catalogue, or SUNCAT, is a freely available source of information about serials holdings in the United Kingdom, for the UK research community....
, the Serials Union Catalogue for the UK research community became a freely available EDINA service in 2006, and contains data from scores of UK research libraries, including the British Library and the National Libraries of Scotland and Wales.
With the launch of EDINA, the Data Library had to be redefined to continue its local remit, distinct from the national services. Donald Morse took on the role of manager of the new Local Services team, and Joan Fairgrieve became the University's first Data Librarian.
Currently, Peter Burnhill is Director of EDINA and head of the Data Library Services Division of the University of Edinburgh Information Services. Robin Rice serves as Data Librarian, Stuart Macdonald as Associate Data Librarian, and Anne Donnelly as Assistant Data Librarian