Create Seshat project docs site/ online handbook

[edwardchalstrey1]

Ideas

• Could look similar to https://alan-turing-institute.github.io/trusted-research/
• Consult with Seshat project people on how they are doing things currently for first draft of pages
• Make it so that anyone in the project can update it and can give others access
• Pages for processes for each role
  • Seshat Admin
    • GitHub workflow
    • Database backup procedure
    • Include a schema map of the db
    • Setup documentation
    • General notes on Django etc
  • Research Assistant
    • How to make edits to Cliopatria shape dataset used by Seshat polity maps and world map #140
  • Seshat Expert
  • Public User (maybe don't need but could include some "how to use Seshat guides")
    • How to suggest edits via the Seshat login system
    • How to suggest edits to polity maps (not world map itself)
• Institutions and people
  • Who to contact for what, and who to contact when they're on leave. e.g. who at CSH should be contacted to restart VM if the site is down and Majid is on leave

[edwardchalstrey1]

More ideas: https://github.com/MajidBenam/seshat/issues/5

[edwardchalstrey1]

Notes from Seshat meeting 19th June 2024

• In the long run, would be great if we could manage a CI/CD pipeline that allows approved Seshat developers at Turing or elsewhere to push changes to the live site, which is managed at CSH on AWS. If there was a GH action that updated the VM on push to main.
  • Related to #79
• Majid will be on paternity leave for ~2 months from ~4th August
  • He will aim to integrate maps to the live site before then, however this will require setting up a new cloud VM (he aims to do so in a more reproducible way that previously) - the goal here would be to set everything up first, then only switch the domain to the new IP address once the v1 Cliopatria shape dataset it confirmed as ready to go live. It's possible this won't get done before he goes on leave as Pieter was also suggesting some other priorities.
• There are some RAs outside of the group who have developed Cliopatria who already wish to get involved with making/suggesting shape edits
  • [name=Ed] My thoughts here is it would be great to get an initial docs page from the Cliopatria team on their current process, however clunky, before attempting to create a new one

TODOs

• [x] @edwardchalstrey1 @kallewesterling @majidbenam to meet to scope required docs pages and desired/optimal GH workflow
  • [name=Ed] It may be worth taking advantage of the time where Majid is on leave to have a process ready for when he returns; we can then spend a bit of time to train him in the new workflow and how to collaborate with external developers effectively via GH - see #176
• [x] @PieterFrancois to provide complete list of people to get in touch with regarding process pages for the different roles

[edwardchalstrey1]

If we do the above before the as yet unscheduled Seshat Autumn get together, this can guide what we need to do for #141

[edwardchalstrey1]

The four RAs to get in touch with are:

Person	Email	Institute	Role
Enrico Cioni	enrico.a.cioni@gmail.com	Turing	RA
Samantha Holder	samantha.louise.holder@gmail.com	Pieter: "works as a casual Research Assistant for us, so not formally attached, more a consultancy role"
Jakob Zsa	jakob.zsa@gmail.com	CSH	RA
Jenny Reddish	reddish.jenny@gmail.com	CSH	RA who has worked on Cliopatria

Pieter: "Once a draft has been created I think quite a few other eyes will have to go over it, e.g. myself, Peter, Dan, Jim …. . I am happy to lead on this editing process. "

[kallewesterling]

thanks @edwardchalstrey1 !