An Edition Control Policy Model for Scientific Collaborative Databases

The Web stimulated collaborative management of information systems. However scientific databases require seldom implemented features like validation control and data traceability. We put forward a model for designing traceable-data collaborative databases, suitable for scientific applications. The model stresses the definition of a policy of edition control for specific applications. The edition control policy (ECP) is a formal description of a collaboration model detailing the evolution of data through potential influence of contributors. ECPs have the advantage of supporting finer authorization strategies than the usual Lampson matrix. Furthermore the database documentation can be automated by keeping track of the successive contributions. We show that widely used collaborative systems, like discussion forums and peer reviewed databases, are particular instances of ECP systems. The method provides a basis for implementation of a declarative policy language processor, namely Quilombo. This software prototype takes advantage of simple RDBMS for storage and provides facilities for accessing databases on the Web. Two case studies using Quilombo are described to show feasibility and diversity of collaboration models: a free forum and a peer reviewed thesaurus.