[TYPO3-UG US] Case Study: Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center

[Michelle Heizer]

Hi Reuven,

First, congrats on the nomination! Keep us posted.

Second, thank you for sending us this case study. This project will make
a great addition to the site. 

After reading through it, I'm looking to see how we can trim it down and
fit it into the case study framework for the new site. My first reaction
is that it's going to be too long and it's a bit heavy on the conceptual
side of the project. It needs to contain more information on what the
benefits were in using TYPO3 for this project. I'd probably stick to
talking about the custom modules and just do a bit of text about the
fact that TYPO3 is easy to update. In the "Unique and Innovative
Features" section, you mention indexed search, forums, sitemaps,
mailers, surveys, polls, and news feed, but what makes them unique and
innovative? In what ways are they being used and what problems do they
solve? Lets see if we can trim down the case study and add a little more
'meat' about TYPO3 and show how the software makes a great solution in
this case. Since it's such a large project, I suggest narrowing it down
to your top challenges and solutions and focus on those.

Hope that helps! Once again, thank you for the case study!! Good luck on
the nomination. :)

Michelle 

On Thu, 2005-10-20 at 12:52 -0400, Reuven Cohen [At work] wrote:
> -- For Review -- Need some input
> 
> CASE STUDY:
> Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center
> 
> The Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center (DF/HCC) was launched in 2000 with a 
> five-year grant from the National Cancer Institute (NCI), and is a 
> designated comprehensive cancer center. It is now the largest, most 
> comprehensive cancer center in the world, consisting of over 800 senior 
> scientists from clinical, basic, and population research. DF/HCC is a 
> geographically-distributed cancer research consortium whose members are 
> affiliated with seven institutions from the Harvard medical and public 
> health community: Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Brigham And Women's 
> Hospital, Children's Hospital Boston, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard 
> Medical School, Harvard School Of Public Health, and Massachusetts General 
> Hospital.
> 
> DF/HCC was committed to transforming its existing web sites (internet and 
> intranet) into one "pulse of the Center," a place where researchers can 
> share information with each other and with the public. One of the prime 
> Center objectives is to make it possible for individual investigators to 
> work in interactive, trans-institutional groups dedicated to a given disease 
> or cancer-related scientific discipline and, thereby, to nurture each other's 
> scientific effort.
> 
> 
> Research at DF/HCC is carried out in 17 disease-site and discipline-based 
> Research Programs that cross both institutional and scientific boundaries. A 
> major attraction to DF/HCC for Harvard's cancer researchers is the access 
> they gain to 21 service laboratories. These "core" laboratories are 
> centralized facilities, each a center of excellence that permits researchers 
> to perform technologically challenging experiments or undertake population 
> studies at a lower cost. Communication regarding these services is critical 
> to utilizing them to their fullest capacity.
> 
> 
> Scientists are tightly affiliated with their primary institution and work 
> collaboratively through DF/HCC to further research. These researchers had to 
> be convinced that the web site provided immediate value and improved their 
> ability to collaborate with one another on a daily basis. The site needed a 
> new design and architecture, for sharing information and facilitating access 
> to Center programs and services.
> 
> 
> The capability for publishing content needed to be distributed to the 
> researchers in order to keep the content compelling and current. From a 
> technological perspective, a Content Management System that could manage 
> distributed authoring from a hierarchy of contributors was a critical 
> success factor. As a virtual organization, DF/HCC has a small IT staff, and 
> only a single staff member tasked with updating Web content. The CMS had to 
> be easy to use and encourage continuous updating in order to keep the 
> content up-to-date. Additionally, the technical infrastructure had to enable 
> multiple levels of access and security because each member institution has 
> its own IT departments and security firewalls.
> 
> 
> DF/HCC selected an open source Content Management System (TYPO3) that would 
> enable content providers to publish and update their own content. Because 
> the various constituencies had different requirements for information as 
> well as varying abilities to update content, the areas of security, content 
> access levels, editorial guidelines and other workflow capabilities were 
> critical to the site design and architecture.
> 
> 
> NCI Cancer Center Support Grant Funding for Center Communications
> 
> 
> For the NCI grant, communication was identified as the direct response to 
> the needs identified by senior leadership, the members and external 
> reviewers. The website was targeted as the most appropriate approach to 
> improved communication, and communication administration has focused on this 
> solution to the challenges of a large, complex program. The June '05 NCI 
> site visit reviewed the web developments at the time and confirmed the 
> feasibility of attaining the proposed new objectives and therefore, 
> contributed to funding for Center Communication.
> 
> 
> Advance translational cancer research through collaboration
> 
> 
> The site provides the platform for connectivity in a distributed cancer 
> research environment. The goal is to increase the rate of translational 
> research across the three scientific disciplines of clinical, basic, and 
> population research. A major objective of the site is to educate the various 
> constituencies on resources available across institutions. The site reflects 
> ways that people come together and collaborate through an information 
> architecture that enables access to relevant information and invites 
> discussion.
> 
> 
> The DF/HCC web site also provides a real online presence for Specialized 
> Programs of Research Excellence (SPOREs), cross-institutional research 
> groups built around specific problems or diseases tied to grants. These 
> seven SPORES now have the ability to publish minutes, meeting times and 
> locations, news, up-to-date member information and set up collaboration 
> space.
> 
> 
> Visibility into subsidized services available to members
> 
> 
> Nineteen Cores have been set up within DF/HCC for services and equipment 
> that are too expensive, difficult or cutting-edge to replicate in each 
> institution. Utilizing these services to their fullest capacity is a major 
> objective.
> 
> 
> Breaking down institutional walls, the site provides service descriptions, 
> terms involved (cost, time) and the specifics on how to access these 
> services. The site provides the information architecture for users to find 
> these services, and the technology and organizational architecture for 
> providers of these services to update the content.
> 
> 
> Member institutions may have duplicate equipment, services and staff with 
> underutilized capacity. Providing easy access to these Core service groups 
> across institutional boundaries has the potential to help eliminate 
> duplication of effort and lead to major cost savings.
> 
> 
> Mentoring the next generation of leadership
> 
> 
> The new site provides the ability to equalize the energy of the center and 
> engage and involve junior faculty. Current leadership of the Center is rich 
> with senior faculty. The new site will post events to a Center calendar, 
> news of collaborative successes, funding available to junior investigators 
> and information about seed projects in need of additional resources. The 
> content provides a vehicle to reach a population that is vital to the future 
> of the center and advances in cancer research.
> 
> 
> Providing visibility to the publi
> 
> 
> The CMS provides the capability to build a central repository of Center 
> resources, while providing needed content to keep the various public 
> constituencies informed. This architecture will provide greater visibility 
> to the media, the general population, and researchers in other cancer 
> centers -- particularly important in an era of resource uncertainty.
> 
> 
> Primary user groups
> 
> 
> There are three primary user groups - Internal Consumers (Intranet), 
> External Consumers (Internet) and Content Producers - that make up the 
> primary audiences. These three user groups break down into sub-groups with 
> many unique content/function needs and perspectives.
> 
> 
> Internal Consumers (Intranet) consist of DF/HCC members who are the 800+ 
> DF/HCC principal investigators. These members are major researchers in 
> basic, clinical and population science. Additional internal consumers are 
> the post-doctorate researchers and clinicians (nurses, physicians, research 
> pharmacists).
> 
> 
> External Consumers are an extremely varied group. Community-related: public 
> health policy makers, legislative staff, and community groups. Care-related: 
> patients, family, physicians. Research-related: pharmaceutical/biotech 
> companies, researchers, Harvard-affiliated organizations, cancer centers. 
> Donors: foundations, government entities, philanthropists, 
> pharmaceutical/biotech companies. Government-related: National Cancer 
> Institute, other government entities, regulators. Additional external 
> consumers include the media and the public.
> 
> 
> Content Producers: DF/HCC administrators, Core, SPORE and program leaders 
> are the publishers and editors of the site.
> 
> 
> The site usage is expected to double over the next twelve months.
> 
> 
> The CMS project started in November 2004 and is now being rolled out to the 
> content producers with launch planned for November 2005. The design and 
> development phase took nine months to complete. The project was a 
> coordinated development effort with the DF/HCC technical team and Enomaly. 
> Enomaly performed an extensive development analysis and delivered a function 
> CMS infrastructure into the CMS. DF/HCC provided three developers to 
> implement and customize the TYPO3 modules.
> 
> 
> During the next several phases of the project, Enomaly customized the TYPO3 
> modules in order to address the deep access hierarchy and the authoring 
> system for the various content contributors across the membership.
> 
> 
> Phase Two consisted of installations of key hardware, software and server 
> modules and the configuration of the web server, databases (local & remote), 
> security, load balancing and core TYPO3 system. This stage included 
> implementing templates, Cascading Style Sheets (CSS), and java scripts into 
> the TYPO3 architecture. The team began development of custom system 
> extensions, workflows, access hierarchy and technical solutions and created 
> design documentation and the style guide. Content was produced or existing 
> content was transferred as well any relevant images, charts, and website 
> downloads. Functionality and user testing began.
> 
> 
> Phase Three integrated custom technological solutions and system extensions 
> and continued testing including performance tuning. The production 
> environment was prepared.
> 
> 
> Phase Four was the release of the web site and beginning of training for 
> content editors. Final system documentation was prepared and post-launch 
> monitoring, optimization, and security audits was set up.
> 
> 
> Phase Five includes ongoing management of reliable and up-to-date content, 
> posting of Center News, training of investigators and staff to enter data, 
> enhancement of navigability and functionality for members, member education 
> about web capability, and monitoring of site usage.
> 
> 
> The visual design for the site has already received enthusiastic endorsement 
> from all seven member institutions. Training for content contributors on the 
> CMS has elicited extremely positive feedback on the publishing system.
> 
> 
> Technology and architecture of the portal or application.
> 
> 
> DF/HCC decided to implement an open source Content Management solution that 
> would be inexpensive, flexible, very powerful and customizable. The CMS had 
> to be browser-neutral across multiple network and operational environments. 
> It also had to support the migration to one site that was publicly 
> accessible. TYPO3 met these criteria and was selected because it supported a 
> very wide and deep information structure.
> 
> 
> The CMS is highly featured but requires major customization by module, a 
> resource commitment undertaken by DF/HCC. The features and customization 
> capabilities will enable DF/HCC to enhance and grow the collaborative 
> environment in the future. Since DF/HCC is a consortium, it was vital that 
> any one person or group could enter and update his or her own information 
> from any computer in the member institutions, each of which is governed by 
> institution-specific IT departments with their own security and technology 
> frameworks. Because of the various constituents, levels of access control 
> and authorizations, and security requirements, it was important that TYPO3 
> be able to interact with DF/HCC's existing security frameworks (e.g. LDAP).
> 
> 
> Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) were used to create visual interface and 
> presentation style separate from the content. These style sheets made the 
> design more flexible and precise in layout than what the CMS would 
> originally allow.
> 
> The architecture of the site consists of three key areas: Group 
> Communication, Data, and Applications.
> 
> Central communication capabilities will eventually range from a document 
> management system (where the members of a group can post documents, slides, 
> and presentations) to forums, mailing lists, or chats where group members 
> can have real-time and on-going discussions pertaining to their research. 
> The ability to subscribe to multiple lists or communities, and search 
> through archived messages, is key to cross-pollination and will hopefully 
> result in interesting outgrowths of common research interests that may not 
> have ever been realized.
> 
> 
> 
> A key element in a virtual cancer center like the DF/HCC with its 
> decentralized IT architecture, is the ability to share data quickly and 
> securely. By creating very granular user/group combinations in the CMS, 
> DF/HCC researchers will be able to create secure locations to store and 
> share data. DF/HCC web development can take over management of this data and 
> ensure that it is properly backed up on servers that have dedicated 
> maintenance.
> 
> 
> 
> One of the fundamental and most critical uses of the CMS will be as a 
> launching pad for new tools that enhance research. When a new tool is 
> introduced, the site will enable immediate notification of the DF/HCC 
> population. Any tool that is developed for either Linux or Microsoft can 
> either be integrated with or accessible from the site. No matter the source 
> of the tool, the site is an ideal place to organize and grant access to 
> these programs, creating a virtual repository of research-enhancing 
> applications that are easy to find and utilize. Some of these applications 
> include virtual networking and meetings, SPORE databanks, and a service and 
> equipment registry.
> 
> Unique and Innovative Features
> 
> DF/HCC will have a website that:
> 
>   a.. Requires nothing but a web browser to be used.
>   b.. Is open-source in nature, employing widely used programming and 
> database standards.
>   c.. Distributes control of the site among the entities it represents, so 
> that a Program/Core/SPORE can readily create, edit, and/or maintain content.
>   d.. Employs File management practices that allow users to share documents 
> with one another both within their Program/Core/SPORE or with people outside 
> of their local environment.
>   e.. Maintains an indexed search engine and insures that the entire site is 
> searchable.
>   f.. Contains built-in functionality to create forums, sitemaps, mailers, 
> surveys, polls, and news feed.
>  Utilizes advanced site statistical methods so that one can determine 
> accurate usage patterns.
> 
> 
> 
> About Enomaly
> 
> 
> A wide range of successful companies rely on Enomaly's open source 
> consulting experience to increase productivity, improve operational 
> efficiency and reduce risk. Enomaly works closely with medium sized 
> enterprises to plan, prepare, and coordinate achievable client-specific web 
> management and open source strategies. These tools effectively allow you to 
> be more efficient and operate more successfully.
> 
> 
> Using a diverse service approach, Enomaly offers a wide range of strategic 
> advisory services including business application development, 
> information/content management, open source migration support.
> 
> 
> Enomaly will cost effectively guide you through each step to ensure that 
> your completed project will attract principle customers, clients and 
> business partner.
> 
> 
> About Dana-Farber / Harvard Cancer Center
> 
> 
> The Dana-Farber / Harvard Cancer Center was conceived in 1997 and launched 
> in 2000 with a five-year grant from the National Cancer Institute, and is a 
> designated comprehensive cancer center. It is now the largest, but more 
> importantly, most comprehensive cancer center in the world, and its 
> increasing impact is confirmed by the accompanying independent statistics. 
> At present, the Center has 782 senior scientists from clinical, basic, and 
> population research collaborating through five (5) Core Facilities, fifteen 
> (15) Disease-Based / Disciplined-Based Programs, and sixteen (16) 
> Programs-In-Development.
> 
> 
> Within the combined faculties of the Harvard medical and public health 
> community resides the largest force of cancer scientists in any single 
> research institution in the world. Each participating institution by itself 
> has a major history of commitment and accomplishment in cancer research and 
> treatment. With the creation of the Dana-Farber / Harvard Cancer Center an 
> organizational structure now exists that expands the amount and depth of 
> interaction and collaboration among these scientists.
> 
> 
>   a.. HARVARD MEDICAL SCHOOL
>   b.. HARVARD SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH
>   c.. DANA-FARBER CANCER INSTITUTE
>   d.. MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL HOSPITAL
>   e.. BRIGHAM AND WOMEN'S HOSPITAL
>   f.. BETH ISRAEL DEACONESS MEDICAL CENTER
>   g.. CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL BOSTON
> To accomplish its goals, the Dana-Farber / Harvard Cancer Center will not 
> only continue to engage top scientists from the Harvard community, but will 
> also recruit highly creative entrepreneurial scientists and engineers with 
> the broadest possible spectrum of skills in its search for relevant new 
> methods and technologies.
> 
> 
>