Validation of FAIRiCUBE Hub Services
The FAIRiCUBE Hub service validation ensures that the different components of the FAIRiCUBE Hub - covering information access, data availability, processing tools, and visualisation — work smoothly both on their own and as a unified system. This involves testing how well the various parts integrate, whether users can access and share data and tools reliably, and how intuitive and robust the interfaces are. The validation also identifies any issues or areas for improvement and checks that all shared resources meet project standards and user expectations.
| Component | Process | Check type | Characteristic | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Core | Hub | Findability | Findability of components | FAIRiCUBE Hub UI has clear navigation structure and section names; index of all components is up to date; a search function exists. |
| Authentication | Authentication across components | Common, secure authentication method available across all components; standard authentication protocol implemented; user roles defined and documented. | ||
| Interplay | Accessibility of datasets | Data resources can be retrieved for use from their metadata records; access modalities clearly described (e.g. local download, cloud APIs…) | ||
| Accessibility of analysis/processing resources | A/p resources can be retrieved for use from their metadata records; access modalities clearly described (e.g. Jupyter notebook, Python library) | |||
| Accessibility of linked datasets and a/p resources | Provenance data or a/p resources or derived data resources are described and accessible | |||
| Storage and accessibility of processing results | Processing results are securely stored and readily accessible for inspection and reuse by authenticated as well as unauthenticated users | |||
| Visualization of processing results | Visualization software for gridded and non-gridded data is an integral component of the Hub and available to users | |||
| User support | User support/helpdesk | Users know how to ask for support in case of questions or technical problems; user support is conducted in a structured manner (e.g. ticketing system); enquiries are timely answered. | ||
| Information | Documentation | Findability | Findability of required information | Information is organised and structured; consistent labelling of sections; search function is implemented |
| Correctness | Correctness of available information | Periodic reviews of the content are conducted; information is kept up to date; broken hyperlinks are replaced | ||
| Completeness | Completeness of available information | All components/topics mapped to respective documentation/articles; external expert review mechanism is implemented | ||
| Usefulness | Usefulness of available information | Periodic reviews of the content are conducted; structured system for collecting user feedback is in place (e.g. comments, rating) | ||
| Ease of Provision | Ease of provision of documentation | Regular maintenance of the system is scheduled; contribution methods are intuitive and documented | ||
| Knowledge Base | Findability | Findability of required information | Information is organised and structured; consistent labelling of sections; search function is implemented | |
| Correctness | Correctness of available information | Periodic reviews of the content are conducted; information is kept up to date; broken hyperlinks are replaced | ||
| Completeness | Completeness of available information | All components/topics mapped to respective documentation/articles; external expert review mechanism is implemented | ||
| Usefulness | Usefulness of available information | Periodic reviews of the content are conducted; structured system for collecting user feedback is in place (e.g. comments, rating) | ||
| Ease of Provision | Ease of provision of information for the KB | Regular maintenance of the system is scheduled; contribution methods are intuitive and documented | ||
| Data | Metadata Editors | Persistence | User input persisted in static file | Ensure all values entered in the GUI are accurately saved in a JSON file. |
| Alignment | Aligned metadata schema across project deliverables, Editor and metadata records | The Editor and the metadata records conform to the metadata schema documented in the project deliverable. | ||
| Findability | Code lists findable and complete, sorted | Code lists (implemented as dropdown lists) contain all necessary options alphabetically sorted; a dictionary is provided | ||
| Labelling | All labels in the GUI described | Every input field has a label and a clear description. | ||
| Errors | Human-readable error messages | Error messages are clear and provide actionable information. | ||
| Data Catalog | Findability | Findability of required data based on search criteria | Users can efficiently locate datasets using specific search criteria. | |
| Simple Search | Simple search | Basic search interface for quick dataset retrieval implemented. | ||
| Advanced Search | Advanced search | Detailed search interface to search across all metadata fields implemented. | ||
| Navigation | Ability to navigate to the identified dataset (either by link to original data download, when possible; or API endpoint with related API document for data access, e.g. endpoint for data in S3 bucket) | Data resources can be retrieved for use from their metadata records; access modalities clearly described (e.g. local download, cloud APIs…) | ||
| Data Access | WCS | Correct Response | Request returns correct responses in accordance with the WCS specification | Ensure all WCS requests return valid responses according to the specification. |
| Measure Types | Measure types from SWE Common used according to the original specification | Ensure measure types are used correctly as per the SWE Common specification. | ||
| XML Validity | XML responses valid | Validate all XML responses against the relevant schemas. | ||
| Extent/Bbox | Extent/Bbox information aligned with GML | Ensure extent and bounding box information follow GML standards. | ||
| Subset Accuracy | Data returned is for the requested subset of the original source data | Ensure data returned matches the specified subset criteria. | ||
| Format | Data is returned in the requested format | Ensure data is returned in the user-specified format. | ||
| S3 | Pricing | Transparent pricing scheme for data access | The different pricing schemes for data access are clearly and transparently described | |
| Optimisation | Data formats are optimized for cloud storage | Only cloud-optimized data formats (e.g. COG, Zarr) are allowed on S3 | ||
| Authentication | Clear authentication requirements | Authentication options (e.g. external authentication) and requirements (e.g. subscription) are clearly and transparently described. | ||
| Sentinel Hub | Pricing | Transparent pricing scheme for data access | The different pricing schemes for data access are clearly and transparently described | |
| Authentication | Clear authentication requirements | Authentication options (e.g. external authentication) and requirements (e.g. subscription) are clearly and transparently described. | ||
| GitHub | Repository Content Overview | Provide users with a clear understanding of the repository’s contents and structure. | Include a detailed README file that outlines the purpose, components, structure, and usage instructions of the repository. | |
| License | Clearly define the terms under which the repository’s content can be used, modified, and shared. | Add a LICENSE file specifying the chosen open-source license (e.g., MIT, Apache 2.0). | ||
| Findability | Ensure the repository is easily discoverable by users searching for related content. | Use relevant keywords, tags, and topics in the repository’s metadata to optimize discoverability. | ||
| Processing | Lab | Execution | Scripts and Jupyter NB can be executed without error | Jupyter Lab and Python is up to date; essential libraries are installed and up to date (e.g. ipykernel) |
| Libraries | Required libraries are available | Commonly used libraries for EO and ML are installed as part of the initial set up | ||
| Library Addition | If libraries are missing, mechanism in place to add | Structured mechanism to request new libraries is implemented (e.g. through helpdesk) | ||
| Scaling | Processing resources can be scaled to the requirements of a specific task | Ensure processing resources can be scaled as needed. | ||
| Backup | Backup mechanism in place | Data and configuration of the Lab is regularly backup; the backup mechanism is known to the user; users can request restoring older backups | ||
| Activation | Requested services activated and correctly set up | Structured way to request activation of additional services implemented; activated services are tested before being made available | ||
| WCPS | Response | Request provides a correct response | Ensure the request provides a correct response. | |
| Subset Accuracy | Data returned is for the requested subset of the original source data | Ensure data returned matches the requested subset. | ||
| Accuracy | Processing steps numerically accurate | Ensure numerical accuracy of processing steps. | ||
| Format | Data is returned in the requested format | Ensure data is returned in the requested format. | ||
| Integration | Code can be integrated as UDF | Ensure code can be integrated as User-Defined Functions (UDFs). |