Virtual Resources Center Infrastructure
This
activity, which was originally known as the Virtual Resources Center (VRC)
Project, was established because the CGIAR lacked a common point of
reference for internal information postings, discussions, and shared
inter-Center applications and services. Additionally, there was a need to
improve the organizational efficiency and productivity of the CGIAR by
supporting the sharing of best practices, and staff skills and
experiences, leading to better-informed decision-making. In this context,
it was necessary to provide support for internal and external
communications, thereby lessening the distance between CGIAR staff and
solution providers, both within and outside the CGIAR. An investment in
Active Directory, a System-wide infrastructure for information sharing,
was being built before the onset of the Project, and it was felt that this
was a good time to leverage that investment in a
Initial Objectives
This objective of this
activity were to establish:
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The technical infrastructure for a VRC portal that would provide the CGIAR Intranet, Extranet tools, and CGIAR Expert Directories – who’s-who directories that people can connect to in order to find expertise in a certain field or subject area, both within and outside the CGIAR. |
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The VRC as the entry point for the products of other ICT-KM activities, such as the Virtual Library Service, E-Publishing, the CGIAR Online Learning Resources and VASAT. |
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The VRC as the entry point for document templates and workflow guidelines generated by the e-publishing activity, enabling a one-stop shop experience for staff and partners to create standard documents throughout the CGIAR. |
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The VRC with a single sign on and a common search engine. |
Progress Update as at March 2006
The
Project name was changed from VRC to VRCI (Virtual Resources Center
Infrastructure), to reflect the Project’s realignment and its
specific role of setting up the infrastructure for the VRC.
In
February 2005, two prototypes of a potential VRC platform were created. It
was finally decided to adopt Plumtree over an open source platform.
The
Project then designed, developed and implemented the production site,
which went online in early October 2005 under the name of VRC. Shortly
after, new branding and navigation were developed, which included changing
the name to CGXchange. This was done in time for the launch at the
CGIAR’s 2005 AGM in
CGXchange
now serves as a one-stop portal where all CGIAR staff can access
System-wide data, information and tools, and shared workspaces, all in
support of multi-Center and multi-disciplinary research and
decision-making. The site also houses outputs of other ICT-KM projects,
such as the Virtual Library (CGVlibrary) and Online Learning Resources.
The Plumtree portal framework is augmented with additional collaboration
tools and a customized staff directory to keep track of staff skills and
expertise. A shared area with a specific search function for documents has
been setup and is now populated with initial policies and guidelines to be
shared among Centers.
Since
the Project was realigned to focus on the infrastructure, the capacity of
administrators and developers has been built. This has been supported
closely with tutorials and documentation groups involved in populating
CGXchange content. However, CGIAR content providers still need to be
trained, and this will form part of another project.
The
Project continues to provide ongoing support for CGXchange. Although the
support to partners was removed from the scope of CGXchange, the
infrastructure is there to support them in the future.
An
extension of three months was given to the Project to improve the work
done on some of the more complex activities and to also tackle new
activities. This is particularly relevant as the last three months of the
Project will constitute a bridge between the VRCI and the new project
supporting the second phase of the CGXchange infrastructure development.
Lead Administrative Center
International Plant Genetic Resources Institute (IPGRI)
Project
Coordinator
Dario Valori, Information Technology
Manager (IPGRI)
Project
Status
Commencement Date: March 2004
Planned
duration of project: 24 months
Project extended to June 2006
For More
Information
Contact us at ictkm@cgiar.org