Requirements:Index
From ssc.aspirationtech.org
Contents |
Social Source Commons -- Preliminary Platform Requirements
The Social Source Commons (SSC) platform is envisioned as a collaborative tool for managing information on software relevant to the needs of nonprofit and non-governmental organizations (NPOs/NGOs).
The initial prototype implementation will support the creation and management of lists (i.e. directories, compilations, catalogs) of software tools, and provide a standard set of informational views for each piece of software.
The requirements enumerated in this wki are substantial, and they represent an eventual goal rather than a single first-phase deliverable. The overarching ethic in developing the SSC platform will be to rapidly prototype small useful pieces of the system and get those into the hands of users who can offer feedback and assess the value delivered.
Initial requirements are described for the following four components for the system:
Management of information regarding a specific software tool
Positioned at the core of the SSC application will be a rich and flexible data model for aggregating information about individual software tools. The data model will support both "common" information about software, such as version number, license type, and publisher, as well as information specfic to particular categories of software (e.g., which donation management tools have online payment processing support). These requirements are detailed in The SSC Software Item Manager
Management of lists of software tools
Central to the value proposition of SSC will be the ability of different categories of users to manage different types of software lists most appropriate to their needs. "End users" will maintain lists of software tools they use or have interest in, to receive notification of updates to those applications. Technology assistance providers will maintain lists of software they're tracking, evaluating, or recommending. And the SSC platform will support management of lists by category, such that users can browse comprehensive lists of software tools potentially relevant to NPO/NGO needs, by category, region/language, and other criteria. These requirements are detailed in The SSC List Manager
User Profile management
The SSC platform and web site will support anonymous browsing, but the power and value of the system will be fully available to those who create and maintain user profiles. Users will be able to create a log-in as soon as they arrive at the SSC site, and then edit a profile that describes their interests and preferences. Included in this profile with be specification of which lists and individual software tools they wish to track, as well as preferences on how they wish to stay informed. These requirements are detailed in the SSC User Profile Management.
Services to support syndication and remote access to SSC data
While SSC information will be aggregated on a dedicated web site (socialsourcecommons.org), allowing users to consume SSC information "where they are" will be critical to the envisioned usage model. In particular, the SSC platform will support RSS syndication of additions and updates to lists and particular software tools, and provide users the ability to fine-tune what information they aggregate via personalized feeds. Additionally the platform will support remote queries that generate content which can be emedded in other web sites, so that SSC data can be integrated into other information models and publishing streams. These requirements are detailed in SSC Services.
Additional Platform Requirements
Internationalisation and Localisation must be considered at every level of design.
Support for Tagging will be critical in peer-to-peer sharing.
