Online Offline Publication System: a project designed for the fields

Many organizations share the need to make knowledge available where Internet connectivity is limited either in availability, time and bandwidth. Thus the idea of a web-based delivery, with navigation, search, private or public access available both online and offline.

It is a very innovative way to collaboratively work on a document repository, and to replicate the data to the field, whenever whatever connectivity is available. The whole library basically resides on a memory stick or directly in the browser, independent of the computer platform you use. Any updates are incrementally updated, optimizing bandwidth.

The initial project started for the development of the Logistic Operation Guide (LOG) (http://log.logcluster.org): a manual for humanitarian logisticians produced by the Logistic Cluster. Originally produced as a MS Word document and updated and published on the web (intranet / public site) two times a year as a series of static HTML pages.

The goal was to design a system that would use simple, and possibly standard technology, to make the LOG manual available both online and offline.

The LOG project led to the development of the Online Offline Publication System (OOPS): a generic system that approaches the editing of the publication as a collaborative, ongoing activity aimed to produce a web-based electronic manual, catalogue, reference library or application. OOPS produces in fact standard HTML and Javascript.

This project is designed for the field because recognising the obstacles of connectivity provides two different offline modes:

• Portable version

• Offline with Gears / Web Database Storage (HTML5)

Portable Version

A publication produced with OOPS can be downloaded onto either a computer, USB-stick or other storage device and carried around, copied and physically distributed, keeping intact the possibility for everyone to quikly update the information, search, browse, etc.

This portable version is based on Portable Firefox or Google Chrome.

Offline

The web publication can also be accessed directly in the browser, even offline, after installing the Gears add-on. Gears is an Open Source product developed by Google, the same used to make Gmail available offline, and is available for all major browsers.

Reflab is currently developing the mobile version running for Android, iPhone, iPad and all platforms that will support the emerging Web Database Storage standard being defined.

Both versions allow the user to search and access tools and templates, including images, pictures, annexes/attachments.

Both versions supports updates: whenever an Internet connection is available the system will check for updates, notify the user and ask to update. To mimimize bandwidth usage and resources, when updating to the latest revisions only the revised parts will be downloaded.

For the work we did in WFP, and for many places where the connectivity is not always or barely available, this is THE way to propagate information to many different individuals.

OOPS is an Open Source product available with no restrictions to use to any organization: no-profit, commercial or governamental.

OOPS is currently used in production for several manuals by the Logistic Cluster, World Food Programme and Medecins Sans Frontieres. Thanks to the contributions of these organizationsthe product is now reaching it's second version that will include mobile devices support.

After more than one year of developments it is clear that a lot of the value of the solution is in the approach that leverages the emerging web standards with the power of well-established web applications thus making it possible to bring web solutions for content management and knowledge sharing and soon collaboration and much more where connectivity is limited.

Additional resources:

OOPS Product Page

OOPS Open Source repository and technical documentation: http://code.google.com/p/online-offline-ps/wiki/DemoInstall

Logistic Operation Guide: http://log.logcluster.org

OOPS featured in WFP Blog: http://www.wfp.org/logistics/blog/oops-we-did-it-again

OOPS Demo: http://alice.reflab.com/ and http://alice.reflab.com/mobile/