Content Object Repository and Registration Architecture CORDRA ADL Registry and Compliance Update

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Content Object Repository and Registration
ArchitectureCORDRAADL Registry and
ComplianceUpdate

• Philip Dodds
• Implementation Fest
• August 2005

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We have come a long way

• From a boy and dog in late 1997 to
• Global adoption of SCORM
• Content interoperability
• Stable feature set and platform
• A solid model for reusability
• Widespread industry adoption
• A story of partnerships (DoD, OSTP)
• IEEE, IMS, AICC, ARIADNE, many others
• NATO, PfP, Canada, Australia, U.K., many others
• Military Services, IRS, CDC, DoL, NGB, NSA, USPS,
  TSA, VA, NASA, TSWG, others
• Industry Daimler Chrysler, IBM, Microsoft,
  Boeing, LG, Verizon, Delta Airlines, Oracle,
  Cisco, McDonalds, Home Depot, others...
• International Plugfest February 2004
• Over 320 participants
• 210 organizations
• 37 Countries
• 77 organizations participated in Plug and Play
• Demonstrating more than 120 products including
  authoring tools, content examples, and learning
  management systems.  

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(No Transcript)
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The Next Big ADL Thing

• Okay, so what good is interoperable, reusable
  learning content if you cant find it?
• -- Paraphrasing Dr. Paul Mayberry over a year
  ago (my recollection)
• We need a means to discover content in a
  contextually relevant way, identify it, determine
  its location, and get it when and where we need
  it.
• We dont have the means to do this today.

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CORDRA Triangle
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YAA Yet Another Acronym

• Content Object Repository
• Discovery and Registration Architecture
• CORDRA
• CORDRA is
• A formal model that can be used to design
  federations of repositories (the CORDRA reference
  model).
• A collection of operational systems built from
  the CORDRA model, including
• a prototype implementation of a repository
  federation and
• an operational federation of federations used to
  combined different CORDRA federations.
• The activities and projects surrounding the
  definition of the CORDRA model and creation of
  the operational systems.
• The CORDRA activities are being coordinated by
  the Advanced Distributed Learning Initiative,
  (ADL) the Corporation for National Research
  Initiatives, (CNRI) and the Learning Systems
  Architecture Lab (LSAL).

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ADL, CORDRA SCORM
Instructional Capability, Modeling
Simulation, Intelligent Tutoring, Economic
Models, Policy, RD, etc.
Technical Specifications
CORDRA Instance
ADL Registry
CORDRA
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ADL Registry (an instance of CORDRA)
Collections
Input Processing
Registry
ADL-R
ATSC
Metadata Objects
Parse Authenticate Validate Return
NAVAIR
ADL-R Located at DTIC
Marines
The Handle System
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ADL-R Input
Collections
Input Processing
Registry
ADL-R
ATSC
Metadata Objects
ltxmlgt lttitlegtCourse 1lt/titlegt ltorggtJ-Schoollt/orggt
lthdlgt123/4lt/hdlgt ........ lt/xmlgt
Parse Authenticate Validate Return
N1 metadata
NAVAIR
Marines
Handle System
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ADL-R Input
Collections
Input Processing
Registry
ADL-R
ATSC
Metadata Objects
Parse Authenticate Validate Return
Results Log
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NAVAIR
Marines
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ADL-R Input
Collections
Input Processing
Registry
ADL-R
ATSC
Metadata Objects
Parse Authenticate Validate Return
NAVAIR
hdlabc/d
Metadata Object matching Content Object N1
xml
Marines
Handle System
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Searching the Registry
ADL-R
Metadata Objects
ATSC
hdlabc/d
Metadata Object matching Content Object N1
xml
NAVAIR
Marines
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Searching the Registry
ADL-R
Metadata Objects
ATSC
hdlabc/d
Metadata Object matching Content Object N1
xml
NAVAIR
Marines
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Searching the Registry
ADL-R
Metadata Objects
ATSC
hdlabc/d
Metadata Object matching Content Object N1
xml
NAVAIR
Marines
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Searching the Registry
ADL-R
Metadata Objects
ATSC
hdlabc/d
Metadata Object matching Content Object N1
xml
NAVAIR
Marines
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ADL Registry CORDRA

• Provides a means to make learning content
  visible and accessible DoD-wide
• Provides a framework for discovery of learning
  content within DoD and over time outside of DoD
• OUSD PR is providing this registry service to
  DoD through DTIC
• The ADL Registry is being designed by ADL, CMU
  LSAL, and CNRI, and implemented by CNRI.
• DTIC will take over operational management in
  FY06 CNRI will operate it by end of this
  calendar year

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ADL Registry and Beyond

• The ADL Registry initially will support learning
  content however, other digital assets pertain
• Other relevant content, such as performance
  support, simulations, and gaming are expected to
  benefit from this infrastructure
• ADL will continue to seek out the appropriate
  interface points among related but historically
  disconnected functions (administratively)
  connecting across stove pipes
• ADL will focus on the architectural aspects of
  integrating with other environments such as the
  DoD Grid, S1000D (Performance Support), the
  simulation community, and others.
• The ADL Registry Pilot is working now (early
  stage), and will be operational this year
  Summer target.
• Our motto remains Working Code Trumps All
  Theories!

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Policy DoD Instruction

• DoDI 1322.hh is in final stages and expected to
  be signed by the end of September
• High level policy is that
• Learning content and LMSs acquired/developed for
  DoD shall be SCORM conformant
• Learning content packages shall be placed in a
  locally managed repository that is accessible
• Discovery metadata about the nature of the
  content packages shall be registered (and
  maintained) in the ADL Registry
• Other types of content may be registered in the
  ADL-R for discovery and management purposes at
  the discretion of the DoD component

These terms will be further defined
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Policy DoD Instruction (continued)

• At this time, only DoD components and their
  support contractors may (and are required to)
  register content in the ADL Registry
• This may be expanded government-wide at a later
  date
• A process for vetting authorized repositories is
  in development
• An overview of this process will be presented
  shortly
• Feedback from this group is most welcome

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Security/Access Issues

• Actual access to content shall remain in the
  control of the local repository under its local
  policies
• Only information (metadata) about the content
  shall be registered for discovery purposes
• It is hoped that pan-DoD access policies,
  procedures and technical means will eventually
  evolve through joint activities such as this
  meeting
• The long term goal is to make content
  discoverable, identifiable, resolvable and in
  due course, retrievable (accessible)
• The latter will take time

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Security/Access Issues (continued)

• For now, only unclassified metadata about content
  objects may be registered in the ADL Registry
• If the content is classified, but the metadata
  description about is not classified, than such
  content must be registered. There are metadata
  fields for the ADL-R that indicate the
  classification of the content referenced
• The idea here is to enable search and discovery,
  but ensure authenticated access as appropriate
• If the metadata is not classified, but the
  referenced content is classified, there is no
  requirement to make the content accessible
  without local approvals and clearances
• It is hoped that in this case the registered
  metadata will indicate how an authorized entity
  may appropriately access the content.
• If the ADL Registry metadata contains information
  that is itself classified, it is presently
  exempted from the DoD Instruction
• This ought not be looked upon as a loop hole
• OUSD/PR are planning to work with DTIC on secure
  systems to meet the needs of those who have
  special security issues
• Guidance and policy with regard to secure systems
  is forthcoming

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Security/Access Issues (continued)

• Searchers/Users are unrestricted for now
• Anyone may search ADL-R, but not anyone may
  access (thats a local decision)
• Restricted search access will most likely be
  added based on local enterprise/component
  requirements (what we call a value added service)
• We (ADL) need to get use cases and requirements
  from the DoD components to shape the additional
  services that need to be implement to support
  your mission
• There are serious work-flow and configuration
  management problems that the ADL-R can be
  developed to support at fairly low costs
• A great deal of thinking went into this
  architecture to support DoD Components, but we
  need use cases to build it out

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A Short Bit on Packages

• The DoDI requires that content be registered as
  packages. So what does that really mean?
• Content packages are described in SCORM and may
  be tested for SCORM conformance using the SCORM
  conformance test suite
• Packages are a way to wrap up all the things
  needed to deliver a chunk of content, regardless
  of what it is
• Packages may contain a simple digital asset, a
  SCO, a short collection of SCOs, or a large
  group of SCOs (e.g., a course)
• At present the DoDI is silent about what is
  packaged, or at what level of granularity, but
  the DoDI does require that content be in a
  package form, zipped, somewhere accessible,
  according to local accessibility policy
• Other digital objects may be registered, such as
  performance support documents or raw assets, but
  that is outside of the current policy and is to
  be locally determined

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ADL Repositories What are they?

• An ADL Repository is a location where content
  developed or acquired by a DoD component resides
• Such a repository is required by the DoD
  Instruction, but details of its implementation
  are not specified
• The access rights to such a repository are to be
  determined by the DoD component
• Such repositories may be operated by a support
  contractor under a DoD component-approved
  program, subject to approval by that component
• We define a component as having a proponent who
  has the authority and responsibility for
  determining that a component repository is
  authorized and approved
• We expect that the DoDI will be issued with a
  cover letter from our Under Secretary that will
  direct each DoD component to identify who the
  proponent shall be
• It is assumed that this proponent will sanction
  and authorize who may, within each component, be
  official content repositories.
• This is to be sure that there is some kind of
  accountability trail yet with the understanding
  that local policies must prevail
• Once validated, repositories within their
  component shall operate against their own local
  policies and procedures, and will be granted
  access rights to the ADL Registry

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Work Flow

• So we think the process will be much as follows
• DTIC will house and manage the registry, portal,
  and Handle System that comprise the ADL-R
• When a DoD Component (or their designate, which
  may be a support contractor) wishes to stand up a
  content repository (in compliance with the DoDI),
  they will seek authorization from their
  designated proponent for their component
• When such authorization is granted, DTIC will
  grant the approved repository manager access
  rights to the ADL Registry and will register the
  repository accordingly
• Thereafter, it is assumed that there is a
  designated repository manager who shall be
  responsible for, and will delegate responsibility
  for, registering and updating metadata about
  content residing in the local repository or
  repositories
• DTIC, as an official Handle System Naming
  Authority, will assign a unique prefix to each
  official DoD repository

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ADL Pilot Participants

• ADL R has been in pilot operation for about a
  year
• The current version is 1.3 1.4 will add access
  control
• 1.5 will finish out the feature set and will
  include LDAP authentication for repository
  managers
• There are 14 organizations participating in the
  ADL Registry Pilot
• All have ties to DoD All are volunteers
• All are testing and contributing to the registry
• The include
• All ADL CoLabs
• Canadian DND
• IBM Watson Research (TSWG project)
• Army, Navy, Air Force, JKDDC, JFSC, DAU, DTIC
• CNRI and CMU LSAL
• Plan to go live December 2005

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The ADL Registry Is Infrastructure

• We have a bigger vision
• Dan Rehak on Global CORDRA

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• Thank you