THL Toolbox > Web Services & Interoperability > THL Application Service Use Scenarios
THL Application Service Use Scenarios
Contributor(s): David Germano
General Notes
All Ruby on Rails (RoR) applications can easily export XML or JSON for a standard data-focused web services API.
1. Knowledge Map ontology
HOME URL: 
http://staging.tmb.THL.org/
PROGRAMMER: Andres Montano.
TECHNOLOGY: RoR.
SUMMARY: The Knowledge Map application allows for the building of flexible hierarchies representing a given area or topic of knowledge. Each node in a given hierarchy can be described with a paragraph, as well as given labels in different languages.
INTENDED USES:
As Value Lists: The Knowledge Map can be integrated into the editorial interface of toher applications to select a value with which to fill a given field. The editorial interface should pop open the full knowledge map in question with a lightbox popup, expand and contract to find their value, and then select it so that its corresponding value passes into the relevant field.
As Resources: Any web page should be able to pull a Knowledge Map into its framed page. A web page should be able to pull in all, or just one, or a specified number of individual knowlege maps. It should also allow for the specification of what languages labels should appear in, as well as descriptions. End users should then be able to expand and collapse the hierarchies, view descriptions and labels in other languages, and most importantly, once Andres has implemented, be able to see associatd resources for any given node and look at each resource as desired.
EXAMPLES:
The Tibetan Historical Dictionary’s (URL??) primary nav tab says “Dictonary projects”. We want to view the corresponding knowledge map with all of its functionality, but keep the Dictonary banner and secondary nav.
2. Himalayan Languages
HOME URL: http://staging.THL.org/reference/dictionaries/himalayan-languages/ is the web page; http://staging.mms.THL.org/dictionary_searches/new is the actual application
PROGRAMMER: Andres Montano.
TECHNOLOGY: RoR.
SUMMARY: This is a relatively shallow dictionary (i.e. onl a few fields) intended to host many languages across the Himalayas.
INTENDED USES:
Its own Web site: there is a “Himalayan Dictionaries” web site where people can access these dictionaries.
THL Universal Search: we want it to be searchable from the Universal THL Search box, and have the serach results appear back enframed in whatever web page banner/nav from which the search was launched.
Want any given essay to be able to link from the occurence of term in the essay to get a tooltip mouse over or popup that shows that term’s entry in the dictionary.
When reading a text in one of the languages, want to be able to highlight a word and get its definition from the relevant dictionary
Within a given Web page, want to be able to post searches of a given dictionary and see its search results enframed within that Web page’s banner/nav.
EXAMPLES: None available yet, aside from its own home page.
3. Tibetan Dictionary
HOME URL: http://www.iath.virginia.edu/THLDictionary
PROGRAMMER: Robbie Bingler.
TECHNOLOGY: RoR.
SUMMARY: This is an exceptionally deep language of the Tibetan language, i.e. it has many different fields. It also has links to audio-video and images.
INTENDED USES:
Its own Web site: there is a “Tibetan Dictionary” web site where people can access these dictionaries.
THL Universal Search: we want it to be searchable from the Universal THL Search box, and have the serach results appear back enframed in whatever web page banner/nav from which the search was launched.
Want any given essay to be able to link from the occurence of term in the essay to get a tooltip mouse over or popup that shows that term’s entry in the dictionary.
When reading a text in one of the languages, want to be able to highlight a word and get its definition from the relevant dictionary
Within a given Web page, want to be able to post searches of the dictionary and see its search results enframed within that Web page’s banner/nav.
EXAMPLES: None available yet, aside from its own home page.
4. Media Management System
HOME URL: http://staging.mms.THL.org/media
OTHER URLS:
- Transcript searching: http://altiplano.emich.edu/exist/THL/index.html
- Synchonrized transcription playback: ??
PROGRAMMER: Andres Montano.
TECHNOLOGY: RoR.
SUMMARY: This is the repository for audio-video recordings and images. For images, you see the image, blow it up to a larger size, view its metadata, and click on various elements of its metadata and see all images that correspond to that term. You can also browse the various classification systems and see corresponding images.
INTENDED USES:
Image In An Essay: We have an essay on a THL web site. It wants to have an image embedded in the essay with its own caption (including type-language), place (place, and county with word “county”), photographer, URL to the full record, URL for the image of that size (specified set of metadata), and with the ability to see more information about it. The former could be provided as XML data service (make call to app, and it returns a XML document that has URL for picture and all requested information about the image, then Java script takes it and parses it, and creates HTML in the right place and with the right link. The latter could be a lightbox popup. The popup could show full metadata, and open up the full MMS in the popup (but no THL frame – content only view; is still an iframe in a popup; then as you click on internal links you would stay in the popup). Could just have more details on the picture in the first call, and hide it until requested. Andres can do this immediatley in terms of XML output if we agree upon the fields.
Video In An Essay: We have an essay on a THL web site. We want to have a video embedded in the essay with a visible thumbnail with its title located below the thumbnail, with a big “play” arrowhead button in the middle. Clicking on it then gives you a lightbox popup of the full video play back with synchronized transcript (if available), as well as metadata.
Presentation Of A Gallery Of Images Or Slide Shows: This would be where a section of a THL-published Website would present a gallery of images, or slide shows, and have on that page the full access to the image viewing tools, and metadata display.
Presentation Of A Gallery Of Audio-Video Recordings: This would be where a section of a THL-published Website would present a gallery of audio-video recordings, and have on that page the full access to the audio-video playback, synchorized transcriptons, and metadata display.
EXAMPLES: None at present.
5. Place Dictionary
HOME URL: TBA.
PROGRAMMER: Originally Matt Mitchell; currently Mel Riffe, with a few changes made by Andres Montano.
TECHNOLOGY: RoR.
SUMMARY: This is a dictionary of place names. You can browse through a tree of containing administrative units, as well as search by specified criteria. In addition, when viewing a place entry, it lists out related places, and you can click on them to see their corresponding place entries. Soon, we will implement listing of media assetts (images, av, etc.) which have been georeferenced by that place, and users will be able to view that media within the place entry structure.
INTENDED USES:
Use within its own home page.
THL Universal Search: we want it to be searchable from the Universal THL Search box, and have the serach results appear back enframed in whatever web page banner/nav from which the search was launched.
Want any given essay to be able to link from the occurence of a place in the essay to get a tooltip mouse over or popup that shows that term’s entry in the dictionary.
When reading a text in Tibetan or another language, want to be able to highlight a place name and get its description from the place dictionary
Within a given Web page, want to be able to post searches of the dictionary and see its search results enframed within that Web page’s banner/nav.
Within a given Web page, want to be able to incorporate content from the place dictionary.
EXAMPLES: None available yet, aside from its own home page.
6. Fathom
HOME URL: http://fathom.performantsoftware.com
PROGRAMMER: Nick Laiacona
TECHNOLOGY: RoR.
SUMMARY: This is not yet fully done but is due to be delivered this summer. It is a social networking application that allows people, projects, and organizations to describe themselves in structured ways. It also allows visualization of interrelationship between entries using bubbles.
INTENDED USES:
THL Universal Search: we want it to be searchable from the Universal THL Search box, and have the serach results appear back enframed in whatever web page banner/nav from which the search was launched.
Want any given essay to be able to link from the occurence of the name of person, project, or organization in the essay to get a tooltip mouse over or popup that shows the corresponding entry in Fathom.
Within a given Web page, want to be able to post searches of FATHOM and see its search results enframed within that Web page’s banner/nav.
Within a given Web page, want to be able to incorporate content from the FATHOM, including search and browse features..
EXAMPLES: None available yet, aside from its own home page.
7. XML Repository of Tibetan Text Catalogs & Editions
Home URL: TBA.
PROGRAMMER: Than Grove
TECHNOLOGY: XML/XSLT.
SUMMARY: These are TEI-based rich catalogs of Tibetan texts and collections, and richly marked up essays.
INTENDED USES:
We want these to be viewable in any THL page.
EXAMPLES: See Tibetan Literary Encyclopedia.
8. XML Repository of Scholarly Essays
Home URL: TBA.
PROGRAMMER: Than Grove
TECHNOLOGY: XML/XSLT.
SUMMARY: These are TEI-based richly marked up scholarly essays.
INTENDED USES:
We want these to be viewable in any THL page.
EXAMPLES: See JIATS and Sera Monastery web sites.
VII. Other Applications.
9. GIS Mapping
HOME URL: TBA.
PROGRAMMER: Adam Soroka.
TECHNOLOGY: XML/XSLT.
SUMMARY: This is interactive GIS maps. They can be approached directly, or can be viewed as accessed from a Place Dictionary entry.
INTENDED USES:
We want any Web pages in THL to be able to link directly to a specified map while maintaining your place in that THL web site.
EXAMPLES: None available as of yet.
9. Translation Tool
HOME URL: TBA.
PROGRAMMER: Than Grove.
TECHNOLOGY: XML/XSLT.
SUMMARY: TBA.
INTENDED USES:
Same as the Himalayan Languages & Tibetan Dictionary issues listed above.
EXAMPLES:
10. Scout Portal Toolkit
HOME URL: TBA.
PROGRAMMER: originally a University of Wisconsin project which we adapted using its own internal tools for adding and modifying fields. This is the worst situation in THL – SPT itself is brutally slow whenever you do any type of advanced search, which is necessary to pull out specific categories of bibliographical items corresponding to specified criteria.
TECHNOLOGY: XML/XSLT.
SUMMARY: TBA.
INTENDED USES:
EXAMPLES: Find them.