MiNC: NSDL Middleware for Network- and Context-aware Recommendations

正在开发服务，以帮助教师、图书管理员和学习者共享资源并促进对NSDL资源的进一步访问。正在开发的网络和上下文感知推荐中间件(Minc)提供在线集成服务，用于a)通过用户文档的访问模式和分析来理解个人活动上下文，b)上下文感知资源发现，包括在NSDL提供的知识结构(例如Strand Maps)中的搜索、呈现和探索支持，以及c)对等点发现、对等点网络管理、以及对等点驱动的资源和知识共享和协作推荐。作为一项集成服务，Minc通过可用的标准接口对现有的NSDL数字馆藏资源以及来自其他站点和存储库的材料进行操作。为了访问NSDL资源，它利用现有的基于开放档案倡议(OAI)的协议、基于概念空间交换协议(CSIP)的可用Web服务接口、CSIP适配(CSIP-A)服务以及可用的NSDL数据存储库API。Minc还集成了其他服务，如Integral。该中间件提供基于API的服务，使未来的项目和其他NSDL贡献者能够利用Minc组件、技术和信息空间。Minc具有广泛的教育和社会影响的潜力。开放式接口使未来的服务开发人员能够针对一般用户群开发更好的接口。除了通过NSDL产生的直接教育影响外，MINC系统还作为一个项目平台被整合到本科生和研究生课程中。这将向计算机科学专业的学生介绍信息提取、信息管理、推荐、可视化和隐私问题，并使学生熟悉与电子学习相关的重要理论。

Services are being developed to aid teachers, librarians, and learners in sharing resources and promoting further access to NSDL resources. The Middleware for Network- and Context-aware Recommendations (MiNC) being developed provides online integrated services for a) understanding the personal activity context through access patterns and analysis of user documents, b) context-aware resource discovery, including search, presentation, and exploration support within the knowledge structure (e.g. Strand Maps) provided by NSDL, and c) peer discovery, peer-network management, and peer driven resource and knowledge sharing and collaborative recommendations.To support these services, several specific tasks, including representation of the personal activity context, context-aware ranking, filtering, and previews, and integration of context and collaborative filtering are being accomplished. As an integrated service, MiNC operates on existing NSDL digital collection resources as well as on materials from other sites and repositories through available standard interfaces. For accessing NSDL resources, it leverages existing Open Archives Initiative (OAI) based protocols, available web service interfaces based on the Concept Space Interchange Protocol (CSIP), CSIP-Adaptable (CSIP-A) services as well as available NSDL Data Repository APIs. MiNC also integrates with other services, such as IntegraL. The middleware provides API based services to enable future projects and other NSDL contributors to leverage MiNC components, technologies, and information spaces.The potential exists for MiNC to have a broad educational and social impact. The open interfaces enable future service developers to develop better interfaces targeting general user populations. In addition to the direct educational impact through NSDL, the MiNC system is being integrated into both undergraduate and graduate courses as a project platform. This introduces computer science students to information extraction, information management, recommendation, visualization, and privacy issues as well as to familiarize the students with the important theories related to e-learning.