CREATING NATIONAL NODES OF THE BIOSAFETY CLEARING-HOUSE CANADIAN SYSTEM

1. CREATINGNATIONAL NODES OF THE BIOSAFETY CLEARING-HOUSECANADIAN SYSTEM Training of Trainers (ToT) Workshop for Regional Advisors 15-27 May 2006 Bangkok, Thailand

2. Presentation Outline • Overview • Quick “Guided Tour” • Hands on session with live system • Web service demonstration • Deployment scenarios • Customization

3. History • Agreement between Canada and UNEP • System outgrowth of another approach • System to be made available to countries participating in the UNEP-GEF BCH project

4. Purpose • Permit countries to quickly and easily create national Web sites related to biosafety. • These Web sites can include: • Static information • Hyperlinks to other sites • Information required under the Protocol

5. Requirements • Keep it simple • Minimize IT knowledge required to use it • Minimize IT infrastructure required to run it • Avoid duplication of effort • Piggyback on existing infrastructure • Re-use existing data where possible • Maximize flexibility • One tool that meets many countries’ needs

6. Result • The Generic Web Site application • Web site content management tool • allows for countries’ preferences for providing information related to biosafety • specifically tailored to assist countries in meeting their requirements related to the Biosafety Protocol.

7. System Components • Web site • Content management tool • Web service

8. Web Site Component • Country has its own Web site. • Web site can contain country-specific content not possible through central portal. • Web site can have multiple language environments. • Web site look and feel can be customized (advanced).

9. Content Management Tool • Specify languages for the site • Create pages with HTML content • Create links to URLs • Create pages for BCH records • Create site maps • Specify banner images

10. BCH Records • Enter data using the BCH Management Centre. • Record is stored in the Central Portal’s database. • Record is authorized by BCH national focal point. • Record is published on the Central Portal Web site.

11. Web Service • Web service sends XML files for BCH records to the country Web site. • BCH records are automatically displayed on the country Web site. • Records are rendered with style sheets. • Style sheets can be customized to support local (non-UN) languages (advanced).

12. System Components • Web site • Content management tool • Web service • BCH management centre • BCH central database

13. Guided Tour

27. Adding Languages

32. URLs • Web site: http://199.212.18.83:8080/InstanceX/main • Bookmark: Canadian App – Live • Website • Management Tool: http://199.212.18.83:8080/InstanceX/admin • Bookmark: Canadian App – Live • Management Tool

33. Setup and Configuration

34. History – Part 2 • Samoa – regional node concept • Hosting issues • MOU between Canada and CBD Sec • Important in context of deployment scenarios

35. Deployment Scenario 1 • Web site and content management application hosted on CBD Sec server. • Content management done on-line over the Internet. • Suitable for countries with Internet access that is fast, reliable, affordable and available.

36. Deployment Scenario 2 • Web site and content management application hosted on CBD Sec server. • Local installation of content management application. • Content management done locally. • Files sent to server on CD or over the Internet. • Suitable for countries where Internet access is not fast, reliable, affordable or available.

37. Deployment Scenario 3 • Country hosts Web site and content management application. • Hosted on domestic government servers and/or international ISPs. • Web service from CBD Sec. • Suitable for countries with strong IT/IM capabilities.

38. DEPLOYMENT PREFERENCE • Scenario 1: • strongly recommended. • Scenario 2: • acceptable in the short term for countries with poor Internet conditions. • countries expected to migrate to Scenario 1 as soon as conditions permit. • Scenario 3: • technically possible but not acceptable.

39. Rationale for Preferences • Scenario 1: • easiest set-up for countries • centralized administration and maintenance • Scenario 2: • more difficult set-up for countries • many local installations makes administration and update difficult • local maintenance likely not as regular or robust • Scenario 3: • most difficult set up • logistical complexity of administering and updating many installations significantly impacts the ability and cost of support.

40. Technologies • Java – technology behind the content management Web application • Apache Tomcat – Web server used to process Java technologies • Axis – used to deploy the Java-based Web service

41. IT Setup – CBD Sec Server • each country has its own instance • each instance contains • content management tool • development Web site • production (live) Web site • Web site configuration files (.css) • BCH record style sheets (.xml and .xslt)

42. IT Set up – Scenario 1 • Technical Side: • Internet connection

43. IT Set-up - Scenario 2 • Install Java • Install Tomcat • Install Generic Web Site application • Internet connection • CD-burner

44. Customization

45. Configuration – Look and Feel • Country may ask for specific colour themes and fonts to match other government sites. • Cascading style sheets (.css) file used to set Web site look and feel. • RA modifies .css file on local installation. • .css file uploaded to that country’s instance.

47. Stylesheets

48. STYLE SHEETS • Style sheets are like forms with place holders (i.e. boxes) for specific data elements • Style sheets can have labels associated with the place holders • Labels and titles are consistent between records of the same type • Data elements may vary between records • Style sheets formatting is in .css file

49. WEB SEVICE TO WEB SITE • Web site needs to know what to do with data sent by the Web service so it displays on the Web site correctly – right page and right format. • Data sent from the management centre includes information identifying type of record being sent (e.g. CNA or NFP) • GWS program reads information sent and places it on correct page using the appropriate style sheet for that type of record