This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) All Versions of this Article: M2013v1 13/4/432    most recent Submit a response Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when eLetters are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Liu, N. Articles by Miller, P. L. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Liu, N. Articles by Miller, P. L.

ResourceLog: An Embeddable Tool for Dynamically Monitoring the Usage of Web-Based Bioscience Resources

^a Center for Medical Informatics, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT
^b Department of Anesthesiology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT
^c Department of MCD Biology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT

^_* Correspondence and reprints: Nian Liu, PhD, Center for Medical Informatics, Yale University School of Medicine, 300 George Street, Suite 501, New Haven, CT 06511. (Email: nian.liu{at}yale.edu).

Received for publication: 11/09/05; accepted for publication: 03/26/06.

The present study described an open source application, ResourceLog, that allows website administrators to record and analyze the usage of online resources. The application includes four components: logging, data mining, administrative interface, and back-end database. The logging component is embedded in the host website. It extracts and streamlines information about the Web visitors, the scripts, and dynamic parameters from each page request. The data mining component runs as a set of scheduled tasks that identify visitors of interest, such as those who have heavily used the resources. The identified visitors will be automatically subjected to a voluntary user survey. The usage of the website content can be monitored through the administrative interface and subjected to statistical analyses. As a pilot project, ResourceLog has been implemented in SenseLab, a Web-based neuroscience database system. ResourceLog provides a robust and useful tool to aid system evaluation of a resource-driven Web application, with a focus on determining the effectiveness of data sharing in the field and with the general public.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				C. J. Crasto, L. N. Marenco, N. Liu, T. M. Morse, K.-H. Cheung, P. C. Lai, G. Bahl, P. Masiar, H. Y.K. Lam, E. Lim, et al. SenseLab: new developments in disseminating neuroscience information Brief Bioinform, May 17, 2007; (2007) bbm018v1. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]