Datalabs technical limitations for discussion

[thomaszwagerman]

Below are items for discussion for meeting with MT (UKCEH) on 15/05:

• [x] Object store through datalabs + {pins}, is it genuinely faster?
• [x] Hosting quarto sites, embedded shinylive
• [x] Hosting golem-based shiny apps.
• [x] Hosting Shiny Python
• [x] Application hosting - limitation in the use of environmental variables? Using APIs/Authentication - keeping secrets, hidden files etc.
• [x] UKCEH have Posit Connect server to host applications, is further app support still in the pipeline?
• [x] Community handbook format/co-design
• [x] PDC dataset for the asset repo, how does the underlying infrastructure work? Can it take an appending dataset, ie asli?

[thomaszwagerman]

After meeting with Michael

• Quarto is on already on the hosting to-do list. It would be helpful for me to specify how I'd expect it to be served. Ie in a docs folder as with Github pages, refer to index.html? Keep in mind datalabs pages are not searchable by search engine.
• Rule of thumb to remember with Datalabs, everything is prototype. Its intention is not to be a production environment. This might change in the future (ie what if UKCEH stop supporting Posit Connect server).
• Asset repo is currently a manual process, data gets copied across (with appropriate checks in place, version, hashing etc). Automatically uploading to the asset repo is on the wishlist, but implementation needs to be secure.
• A PDC dataset is very interesting for them, and appending dataset even more interesting as a use case.
• Matt Brown is the person to talk to regarding Object Store <-> Datalabs interaction.

Agreed next steps

I will keep Michael in the loop regarding the implementation of the Datalabs-side of the BOOST-EDS POC, he can support with barriers to implementation and we provide interesting use cases for areas of development.

• [x] Email Michael with details on ASLI use case, specifically Datalabs implementation.
  • [x] Specify prototype hosting requirements, something not yet supported like a golem-based application or Quarto website with Shinylive, Shiny for Python would be interesting.
  • [x] Specify the nature of appending ASLI dataset, and discuss how to arrange transfer and appending - how is this going to interact with the PDC?

[thomaszwagerman]

Covered with MT in Lancaster, will follow up outwith this project work