Project TAPIR: PID-based data import into VIVO with „generate2vivo“

read this post in German

The background

As part of the previous TIB blog article on the power of persistent identifiers (PIDs), the TAPIR project has already introduced itself and shared first project steps with the interested public. But there is more we would like to share with you!

TAPIR – what was it again?

Project TAPIR (= in German: “TeilAutomatisiertes Persistent-Identifier-basiertes Reporting”) is a common project of TIB and Osnabrück University (UOS) funded by the BMBF and addresses the central research question to what extent research reporting at university and non-university institutions can be (partially) automated using persistent identifiers such as ORCID, ROR and DOIs;

And this considering the growing, recurring reporting obligations in the context of research reporting – such as the annual preparation of the Leibniz Reports or the fulfillment of the Guidelines on Transparency in Research – are usually associated with a high level of time and effort. This is where we start: To what extent can PIDs be used to collect, aggregate, and logically link open available research information? How can external retrieved metadata be integrated into current research information systems (CRIS) and then output again in predefined reports?

Import-Tool „generate2vivo“

After introducing the query tool „pidgraphnotebooks“ for simple tests of various data queries from OpenAlex, ORCID, CrossRef etc. in the last article, we now want to introduce the import tool „generate2vivo“ (initially „datacitecommons2vivo“) developed by the TIB.

This flexible and extendable tool enables a retrieval of PID-referenced data from selected external data sources and an automated import into a CRIS. In the context of our project, we are using the Linked Data-based open source CRIS VIVO, which is successfully in use by both project partners TIB and UOS for years.

Up to now, it is possible to execute initial import runs with the FREYA PID Graph, CrossRef, ORCID and ROR, to map the queried data to the VIVO ontology and to integrate it into VIVO. For example, our so-called „organization-person query“ can be used to retrieve and import all persons who are affiliated via an ROR ID.

More information about the external data sources and particular queries are collected in a related wiki. The entire documentation as well as the codes for „generate2vivo“ are already accessible for free reuse via a GitHub repository.

Try it out – „generate2vivo“ in TAPIR Labs!

To give an insight into our research and development work, we have made the tool „generate2vivo“ and a connected test VIVO setting available within the TIB Labs. Here, it is possible to try out individual queries and test imports – with the ROR ID of your own institution, with your own ORCID iD or individual DOIs – and view them immediately in VIVO.

Just try it out in TAPIR Labs!
A short „hands on“ (PDF) will show you how it works.

Outlook – What’s next?

Testing, testing, and testing! We will not only continue to test our import tool for practicality, we‘ll also investigate to what extent external queried data collected in VIVO can be used for research reporting (in the future). Besides, we are working on a reporting component for VIVO.

You are welcome to follow us on our project website or via Twitter!