The design and analysis of systems to support the lifecycle of research data management are essential skills for data curators. In this lab we will use three different research data producer scenarios [1] to complete the following activities:
Develop a requirements gathering document which specifies a range of use case activities.
Based on the requirements gathering document, develop a single use case which outlines a set of intended actions, and supporting services. Use cases are valuable and important because they help a data curator move from modeling what data are (types, roles, etc.) to understanding how the data might be used in the future.
Create an activity diagram which models the research processes described in the use case. Systems modeling in data curation can take a formal approach, such as UML (Unified Modeling Language) or an informal approach, such as activity diagrams, which we will cover in this session.
Using the scenario documents to create a data dictionary
The three scenarios will cover data producers from the following domains:
Engineering: Characterizing a Component of a Rocket Engine Used to Control Satellites in Orbit
Public health (qualitative): Improving End-of-Life Care for African Americans
[1] These examples are provided by the New England Collaborative Data Management Curriculum project at the University of Massachusetts Medical School
Teehan, A., & Keating, J. G. (2010). Appropriate use case modeling for humanities documents. Literary and linguistic computing, 25(4), 381-391.
Adolph, S., Cockburn, A., & Bramble, P. (2002). Patterns for effective use cases. Addison-Wesley Longman Publishing Co., Inc..
Rosenberg, D., & Stephens, M. (2007). Use case driven object modeling with UML. APress, Berkeley, USA.