‘Split personalities’ for scientific databases: targeting database middleware and interfaces to specific audiences

Abstract

Scientific researchers are anxious to discover new insights into the relationships and interactions among the exceedingly diverse components of our physical, biological and ecological environment. To do this, individual scientists must be able to synthesize conclusions from data drawn from disciplines outside their domains of expertise. While key datasets have already been brought online, they are housed in diverse agencies, using different database software on a variety of platforms. This paper explores the problems in providing middleware and interface support for these autonomous research databases (ARDs). The development of interfaces to ARDs is complicated by the fact that potential end-users range from highly-specialized research scientists to the general public. To adequately support such diverse users, the interface must assume different ‘personalities’. We describe how interfaces can be targeted to three categories of end-users: domain specialists, non-domain specialists, and students. By automating the activities that are most frustrating, time-consuming, or error-prone, target-specific interfaces can significantly improve database usability. There is also heterogeneity among the people who must develop ARD interfaces. We target three different classes of implementers – database-technology familiar, database-content familiar, and database unfamiliar. By developing different middleware personalities that respond to the specific skills and interests of each audience, we have been able to keep our software simple and usable without sacrificing flexibility.