Why the Need for an Electronic Notebook?

Virtual Laboratory stresses shared remote access
to expensive, one-of-a-kind facilities.

Remote control of scientific instruments
requires remote documentation capabilities.

Collaboration of distributed researchers is
enhanced by a common "project" notebook.

Notebook Requirements

Easy to Use
Entry should be as easy and intuitive as paper notebooks

Secure
Contents can not be accessed or intercepted by unathorized people
Entries can not be modified once dated and signed
Entries can be annotated and forward referenced

Extensible
Notebook allows "plug-ins" to customize for data entry
f.e. automatic entry direct from instrument
Entries are composed of an expandable set of objects

Portable
Notebook data can be accessed from any computer
Software must be cross-platform

Advantages of Electronic Notebook
over Paper Notebook

Can be shared by a group of researchers
Multiple people can read and write to the notebook even at the same time.

Can be accessed remotely
Can be read or written from anywhere in the world.

can not be "lost"
Always available, no need to look for who has it

Can not be destroyed
Notebook files are backed up

Easier to incorporate computer files, plots, etc.
No need to "tape in"
Data can be directly read into the notebook
Computer graphs and tables can be directly inserted
Physical material can be scanned into the notebook.

Can easily be searched for information
Automatic creation of table of contents
Can include a search engine
Entries can be sorted by different metrics
f.e. "all entries by Al Geist"

Can include multimedia
audio / video clips

Can include hyperlinks to other information
within the notebook and outside the notebook

Advantages - Personal Notebook

Never have to worry about having the wrong volume
Data you need is written in Vol.1, You are now on Vol. 3

If you are on multiple projects
You don't need to carry several notebooks around

Easy to copy data
from personal notebook to collaborative notebook

Basic Definition

Electronic Notebook is a repository for objects
that document scientific research.

Input Object

Retrieve Object

Query Object

Basic objects are text, sketch, images

Prototype Notebook Architecture

Entirely Web based
The Web is ideal for storing and displaying information

Browsers for accessing notebooks
Cross-platform, everyone has access to one

Leverage Electronic Commerce security solutions
Authentication, digital signatures, encryption...

Use CGI scripts for access to notebook pages

Use Java applets to input objects to notebook page

Set of supported objects can be extended
Applets supply interactive user interface

Can extend capabilities through
user defined MIME types