Dataspace and its application in digital libraries

This paper aims to introduce dataspace into digital libraries in order to address its emerging data management challenges which stem from cross-domain, heterogeneous, and uncertain nature of data resources, based on looking into the fundamental principles, significant features, and research directions of dataspace.

This research mainly employs three types of research methodologies: a literature study was conducted for revealing the fundamental principles, analyzing the significant features, and discussing the new research topics; knowledge engineering methodology is used to design the data model; software engineering methodology is applied to develop the reference framework and the digital library.

This paper for the first time proposes a motion to build a Dataspace Support Digital Library (DSDL), and provides its data model, data management policies and a reference framework. Further, its implementation is described and some implications learned from the case study are also discussed.

Introducing dataspace technologies into developing a digital library frees the developer to just focus on solving business challenges, rather than addressing non-business related, data management level tasks. In addition, the data model and the reference framework presented in this paper lay foundations for constructing Dataspace Support Digital Libraries.

This is the first paper to introduce dataspaces into the design of digital libraries and is also the first paper to propose a novel data model, data management and reference framework for Dataspace Support Digital Libraries.