The informatics unit focuses on information engineering in the form of automation, storage, and retrieval of information through the use of technology infrastructure. This unit supports campus researchers by allowing Informatics specialists to be included in grants as project resources. All grant work is supervised by Tyler Pearson, the Director of Informatics, who has been recognized for his significant contributions to the research community.
Featured Projects
The cyberCommons Framework is a loosely coupled service-orientated reference architecture for distributed computing workflows. The framework is composed of a series of Docker contained services combined by a Python RESTful API.
This framework is used by multiple research groups here at the University of Oklahoma, Northern Arizona University, and the University of Colorado. It is also used to automate workflows within the University of Oklahoma Libraries.
The Informatics team jointly contributes to the maintenance and development of this framework along with the University of Colorado.
Impact Stories & Publications
DATA SERVICES UNIT PILOTS NEW NSF-SUPPORTED NAUTILUS PROGRAM
University Libraries’ Data Services Unit (formerly DAVIS) unit partnered with researchers and departments across campus and the country to pilot a new program, called “Nautilus,” that facilitates access to high-powered computing technology through a common computing environment.
The National Science Foundation (NSF) funded the underlying infrastructure and support for the Nautilus effort, which was built and maintained by the National Research Platform. This cloud-hosted platform, composed of over 50 partner institutions, allows for real-time access to computational resources supporting research and learning.
MEET THE EXPERTS WITH OU LIBRARIES DATA SERVICES UNIT
Tyler Pearson, Director of Informatics, helps researchers turn their concepts into code. OU Libraries Informatics Department provides expertise on research workflows, in addition to a wide variety of other services.
Tyler is among the OU research experts who hold office hours in the Data Services Unit in the Zarrow Family Faculty and Graduate Student Center of lower level 2 in the Bizzell Memorial Library.
Associate Professor and Chair of OU Classics and Letters, Samuel Huskey, shared his experience working with Tyler and the team in Data Services.
CREATING CHAMPIONS: INFORMATION SPECIALISTS HELP STUDENT CREATE AN APP
With the assistance of OU Libraries information specialists, Jack Mareburger, a junior in the Price College of Business, developed his minimal programming experience to launch a fully operational application that scrapes information from websites and places stock trades. This innovative application has already earned a profit and has opened the doors to an internship.
Jack had the idea but needed help developing and troubleshooting the program. Faculty mentors encouraged him to visit the new Data Services Unit (formerly DAVIS) in the Bizzell Memorial Library. There, he met OU Libraries information specialists Mark Laufersweiler and Tyler Pearson who guided Jack in the development of his project.
Ruediger, Dylan, Thea P. Atwood, Neelam Bharti, Bryan Briones, Patrick Campbell, Paula Carey, Daniel Castillo, et al. "Big Data Infrastructure at the Crossroads: Support Needs and Challenges for Universities." Ithaka S+R. Last Modified 1 December 2021. https://doi.org/10.18665/sr.316121.
Eli S. Bridge, Jay Wilhelm, Meelyn M. Pandit, Alexander Moreno, Claire M. Curry, Tyler D. Pearson, Darren S. Proppe, Charles Holwerda, John M. Eadie, Tez F. Stair, Ami C. Olson, Bruce E. Lyon, Carrie L. Branch, Angela M. Pitera, Dovid Kozlovsky, Benjamin R. Sonnenberg, Vladimir V. Pravosudov, and Jessica E. Ruyle. An Arduino-Based RFID Platform for Animal Research. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, Front. Ecol. Evol., 10 July 2019. https://doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2019.00257
Presentations
- Laufersweiler, M., Pearson, T. (2023). Troubleshooting Kubernetes and Generating Metrics. Presentation, GPN 2023 Annual Meeting.
- Laufersweiler, M., Pearson, T. (2023). Leveraging the National Research Platform to Build a Scalable Research and Education Environment. Presentation, CNI Spring 2023 Membership Meeting.
- Laufersweiler, M., Pearson, T. (2023). A Common Environment for Instruction and Research: One Year Later. Presentation, University of Oklahoma Academic Tech Expo.
- Laufersweiler, M., Pearson, T. (2022). BoF: A Common Environment for Education and Research: An OU Implementation of Nautilus. Presentation, GPN 2022 Annual Meeting.
- Laufersweiler, M., Pearson, T. (2022). A Common Environment for Instruction and Research. Presentation, University of Oklahoma Academic Tech Expo.
- Carlisle, T., Pugachev, S., & Pearson, T. (2019). Text Analysis and Annotation Tools for the Humanities. Presentation, University of Oklahoma Academic Tech Expo.