Appendix 11.6: JISC Information Environment Architecture
The JISC Information Environment (JISC IE) technical architecture specifies a set of standards and protocols that support the development and delivery of an integrated set of networked services that allow the end-user to discover, access, use and publish digital and physical resources as part of their learning and research activities.
The key standards and protocols specified in the technical architecture are listed in the JISC IE Architecture Standards Framework.
Examples of the kind of activities supported by the architecture include:
- Integration of local and remote information resources with a variety of 'discovery' services (for example the RDN subject portals, institutional and commercial portals and personal reference managers) allowing students, lecturers and researchers to find quality assured resources from a wide range of content providers including commercial content providers and those within the higher and further education community and elsewhere.
- Seamless linking from 'discovery' services to appropriate 'delivery' services.
- Integration of information resources and learning object repositories with Virtual Learning Environments (for example, allowing seamless, persistent links from a course reading list or other learning objects to the most appropriate copy of an information resource).
- Open access to e-print archives and other systems for managing the intellectual output of institutions.
Examples of the kinds of content that are available through the JISC IE include scholarly journals, monographs, textbooks, learning objects, abstracts, manuscripts, maps, music scores, Internet resource descriptions, still images, geospatial images and other kinds of vector and numeric data, as well as moving picture and sound collections.