1 Introduction

This section describes a Mediaflux-based capability to handle data created by an instrument (e.g. a microscope or sequencer). Please read the Terminology Section first !

The primary goals of this capability, which uses a Mediaflux tool (client application) called the Data Mover are:

Provide a simple and secure mechanism by which an instrument operator (platform staff or a power user) can upload newly acquired data into the platform's Mediaflux Instrument Project.
Provide a simple and secure mechanism to dispatch the data to the end user, whether that end user is a Mediaflux User or not (including users from other institutions).

The targeted operating systems for this capability are Windows 10/7, macOS and Linux. The Data Mover tool is made available for free to all users. A typical use case is that data are being provided to a user from an instrument via a Data Mover download shareable link. That link, when accessed, will invite the user to download and locally install the Data Mover if it's not already installed. The user does not need a Mediaflux system for this.

2 Primary Data WorkFlow

Before learning how to configure your instrument to send data to Mediaflux, please review the primary work flow that connects the instrument to Mediaflux and then allows end users to receive their data.

3 Preparing an Instrument for the Workflow

To deploy this workflow for an instrument requires some provisioning of Mediaflux resources and configuration of the instrument acquisition computer. This is undertaken jointly by the staff operating the instrument and the Data Solutions Team of Research Computing Services.

4 Executing the Upload Workflow at an Instrument

The steps to use the Data Mover to upload data from the Instrument to Mediaflux are described here.

5 Finding and Resharing Data Later

Here is a description of how to find data, that the DataMover uploaded, at a later date.

6 End User Reminders

The Data Mover provides three mechanisms for dispatching data to the end user (via links in the email notification). The links have a finite lifetime set by the specific instrument platform. Typically it's 30 days, but may be longer or shorter. The methods are:

Download with the DataMover to local storage. This is ideal for big data and requires the end user to install the Data Mover tool (free to all users).
Download with a direct link. This is good for small data and requires no extra software. The user needs to unpack the downloaded zip file.
Copy to own Mediaflux project

The system tracks when each of these methods is used (for direct downloads links we can only know that the user has attempted to download, not that it completed).

This allows us to provide reminder notifications to end users if they have not downloaded their data within the lifetime of the download links. The process:

Runs via a regular scheduled job running in Mediaflux - for example, if the lifetime of your download links is 30 days, we'd run this weekly.
Only notifies the user if they have not accessed their data by one of the three above methods.
Will not notify after the links expire.
Can also notify you, the platform operator, that they, the end user have received a reminder. There are two choices
- Notify the email address stored in the upload shareable (this is the platform operator email address that receives notifications such as successful uploads)
- Notify an email address stored in the meta-data of the project

If you, the platform operator, would like these reminders enabled for user, just contact RCS/DST via Service Now as per usual.

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