Frequently Asked Questions - VIVO specifications and technical information

Information about the VIVO application and its functionality

1. How does VIVO work?

VIVO technology is a semantic web^! application coupled with an ontology^! editor. It uses the Resource Description Framework (RDF)^! and supports customizable browsing. Information in VIVO is stored as "triples^!" of the form subject-predicate-object; for example, John Doe (subject) - is author of (predicate) - "The Effect of Video Games on Kids" (object). With VIVO, you can create and load ontologies, edit relationships, build a public web site to display data, and search it using the Lucene^! search engine.

2. Is VIVO a system of record?

VIVO is not a system of record although some parts of a user's profile may represent the sole source of particular information such as short bio statements, research interests, or geographic areas of focus.

3. Will VIVO archive information or maintain historical data?

In general, VIVO is not designed to archive information. The system is designed as a window into current research activity within or across institutions.

4. Can VIVO interact with other software applications?

Many software applications can benefit from using the information that will be maintained by the national VIVO network. Applications and external web sites can use data from the network to provide enhanced searches, collaboration capabilities, grouping, and locating and mapping scientists and their work. If you have an application or idea that would leverage the information VIVO provides, please let us know via our contact form.

5. How does VIVO handle privacy issues?

VIVO profiles will only contain public data pertaining to research and scholarship activities. No sensitive information will be collected. Therefore, items pertaining to salaries, employment history, job evaluations, etc. will never be held or displayed in VIVO.

6. Who is responsible for maintaining the national VIVO network?

Funding for the VIVO project specifies VIVO as a lightweight architecture that will support the discovery of researchers across institutions as long as the information about them resides in locally controlled installations. Currently, each of the seven participating institutions is responsible for maintaining local data and information. Models for sustaining the VIVO project beyond the grant period are being explored.

7. How do I download and implement VIVO for my institution?

You may download VIVO from the SourceForge open community site. Also available on the SourceForge site are mailing lists, a project wiki, and IRC channel to learn more and communicate with project members and others working with VIVO. Contact us if you want to be notified of updates on the VIVO project or to obtain specific information.