Introduction
System Requirements
Getting Started
All About Your Project List
Searching
Further Help

Introduction

The CenSSIS Image Database system is a scientific database that enables effective collaboration, scientific data sharing and accelerates fundamental research. The system incorporates efficient submission and retrieval of images and metadata, indexing of metadata for efficient searching, and complex relational query capabilities.

All that is needed to access CenSSIS-DB is a web browser. CenSSIS-DB has been tested with the following platforms and browsers:

• Windows NT/2000/XP Internet Explorer 4.0+

• Windows NT/2000/XP Netscape Communicator 6.0+ *

• Solaris 2.8 Netscape Communicator 7.0+ *

• Linux (RedHat 7, 8) Netscape Communicator 7.0+ *

• Linux (RedHat 7, 8) Mozilla 5.0

Older versions of Netscape don't appear to handle some Javascript correctly

Getting Started

1. Accessing CenSSIS-DB

   To access CenSSIS-DB, simply point your web browser to:

   http://censsis-db1.ece.neu.edu:9080

   You will be greeted with the page in Figure 1.

   
   

Figure 1

2. Registration

   To register, click on the Register link above, circled in red. Fill out the registration form. This registration form is your profile. Note that all starred fields are required. Once the registration form is complete, click on the Submit button. If any errors have been detected, you will be prompted to fix them. Otherwise, you will be notifed that registration was successful.

   After registration, you will automatically be logged in (Figure 2).

   
   

Figure 2

3. Logging in

   If you already have a user account and just need to log back in, enter your username and password in the appropriate fields at the top right-hand corner of the screen and click on the Login button.

4. Editing a profile

   At any time, you can edit your user profile, with the exception of your username. To edit your user profile, click on the Edit Profile link (arrow 3 in Figure 2) and make the appropriate changes. To change your password, follow the Edit Profile link and then the Change Password link.

5. Logging out

   To ensure security, especially if you are accessing CenSSIS-DB from a shared computer, we recommend that you log out when you are finished with your session. To logout, simply click on the Logout link at the top right-hand corner of the screen (arrow 4 in Figure 2).

6. Non-CenSSIS Users

   If you are not a CenSSIS member or affiliate and wish to have a CenSSIS-DB account, please contact the CenSSIS-DB Administrator:

Furong Yang email: fuyang@ece.neu.edu phone: 617-373-4387

All about your Project List

1. Introduction

   The central organizational unit of CenSSIS-DB is the project. Registered CenSSIS-DB users can define multiple projects. Each project can have multiple folders and/or datasets associated with it (think of how your computer organizes files and subdirectories within a parent directory). In addition, every project can be shared among other registered CenSSIS-DB users. This allows a group of researchers to share datasets with one another yet not have the datasets be publically accessible or accessible to project non-members.

2. Project List

   A user's project list can be viewed in the left-hand navigation bar of the CenSSIS-DB site (Figure 3). To create a new project, the user should select the Create Project link. To add data to an existing project and/or edit existing data, the user should select the appropriate project from the project list.

Figure 3

3. Creating a Project

   To create a new project, the user should select the Create Project link. The user should enter a project title and description (optional) and click on the Save button (Figure 4). If project creation was successful, the user will be returned to the project file list page seen in Figure 5.

Figure 4

Figure 5

4. Project Listing

   The project file list is organized like a tree structure (Figure 6). To open up a project or folder, simply click on the icon located to the left of the project or folder name. To close and hide the contents of a project or folder, click on the icon once more.

Figure 6

5. Adding Data

   To add data to a project or folder, click on the Add Data link next to the project or folder name(Figure 6). A screen containing two drop-down boxes of data types and locations will be displayed(Figure 7). Make your selections of the type of data you want to submit and where your project is located, and then click on the Submit button. If you do not see an appropriate data type for your dataset, simply select generic and contact the database administrator to setup a new data type.

   Fill out the data submission form(Figure 8) as best you can, making sure that you fill in all required fields (starred). In order to restrict access to the dataset, select either project or member permission level under the Read Permission field. If you want your data to be accessible to anyone searching the website, select world permission under this field.

   Attach any files you want to attach. Up to three files may be attached. The three types of files are a dataset, sample image file, and a read me file. Note: Most internet browsers will only display the sample image file if it is a jpeg.

   When you have finished filling out the data submission form, click the Submit button. Upon submission, a dataset is immediately available for retrieval. If there are any errors, you will be notified; otherwise you will be shown a screen containing the data you just submitted as well as a unique image id for that dataset.

Figure 7

Figure 8

6. Managing Project Members

   In order to share data, you can add additional project members to your project. These members must already be registered with CenSSIS-DB.

   While in project list view, select the Members tab. You will see a screen listing the current project members and their roles(Figure 9). Project member roles include creator, owner, and member. The creator is the individual who created the project. An owner is anyone who can edit project-level information and add/delete/modify project member settings. A project member has the ability to add/edit/delete datasets and folders.

Figure 9

7. Viewing and Editing Data

   While in project list view, open the project that contains the data you wish to edit or view. Open the folders until you reach the dataset you wish to edit or view. Click on view or edit.

   In order to save a dataset directly to your computer, right click on the data link you wish to download, click on "Save target as...", and then select the folder or location where the data will be saved.

   Note: Excel documents may not be viewable directly from the online database depending on the web browser. If it is not accessible, save the data to your computer, and then open the file in Excel.

1. Who can search?

   Anyone can search the database, both registered and non-registered users. However, restricted material will not be available to those who do not have access to it.

2. Searching By ID

   This allows you to search for a particular image or dataset by the image identification number.

3. Searching By Keyword

   This search option scans the descriptive metadata fields for the entered keyword(s).

4. Searching By Multiple Criteria

   This search option allows you to perform either general or specific searches. For each drop-down box or text field left empty, the search will provide all data under that category. Otherwise, the search will provide only the data that fulfills the criteria indicated. If all fields are left blank, the search will provide all the image datasets in the database.