Features

Grano is a rapidly developing open source software project. This page is intended as a guide of both existing features and an agenda of functions that we’re planning to work on in the future.

Existing features

Some of the key features of the core engine as well as some extensions are listed here.

Backend

  • Social network data storage based on the Postgres database backend.
  • Multi-tenancy based on projects, each describing a separate network.
  • Revisions for property data of each entity and relationship in the database.
  • User-editable data schemata (i.e. property definitions) for entities and relationships.
  • Read/write web API exposing all system elements as REST resources.
  • Project-level access control for users.
  • Plugin interface to allow modular extensions of the core software.
  • File uploads and bulk data import from CSV files.
  • OAuth login with support for Twitter, Facebook and GitHub.
  • Asynchronous background processing support.

User Interface

  • AngularJS-based user interface for managing and exploring grano projects.
  • Support for project creation, schema editing and permissions management.
  • Editing entities and relations.
  • Bulk data import helper for CSV files.

Extensions

For more information, see the extensions page.

  • ElasticSearch-based full-text search and faceting support.
  • OpenRefine entity name reconciliation endpoint (Freebase API emulation).
  • OpenCorporates reconciliation client service to import company information.

Development Roadmap

This roadmap details some of the planned functionality for grano over the next few months. It is intended to give a high-level overview, while detailed descriptions and discussion is publicly available on the issue tracker.

Improved user interface

  • Testing with non-technical users.
  • Workflow: published vs. draft objects for the Poderopedia use case.
  • Bulk editing and adding of entities and relations for manual entry Poderopedia use case.
  • Internationalisation of the interface and localisation to Spanish
  • Various items: featured entities; entity images; WYSIWYG text editing

Sources and data provenance

  • Managing sources as entities in their own right, with explicit metadata on trust levels.
  • Filtering data by source trust levels.

Query and analytical capabilities

  • Conduct a workshop to determine typical queries in journalistic settings.
  • Develop a custom query language or tie in an existing tool like Neo4J.
  • Provide a simple, non-visual query builder and results interface for analysis. Research existing query builders and re-use if possible.
  • Determine when recursive query ability (i.e. shortest paths) and graph metrics (e.g. centrality, betweenness) are journalistically useful.
  • Explore the implementation of pre-defined queries (i.e. red flags for corruption based on entity/relation interlock): how much metadata would be required?

Data visualisation

  • Build a custom network map builder, oriented along the lines of the LittleSis map tool - this should be based on the existing grano-explorer.
  • Consider re-use of Poderopedia’s analytical visualisations, especially the simple D3 tool.
  • Explore integration of time-based visualisations, based on CargoGrafias.

Grano SDK

  • Template repository for grano extensions; with documentation on how to develop plugins with their own API and data model.
  • Template for front-end news apps with entity and relationship profiles (like MachtVZ and OpenInterests.eu).
  • Consider developing a JavaScript client library.

Text mining and entity extraction

  • Support entity extraction service based on the entities present in a specific grano project, ideally based on Stanford NER.
  • Explore re-use and development of stand-alone tools for manual/computer-assisted relationship extraction from news content (MMA Dexter?).

Activity feeds / narrative relationships

  • Prototype narrative connections between entities, as shown in this mockup
  • Following feeds and customised timelines.
  • Generate narrative updates from entity/relationship CRUD operations.

Software as a service

  • Work out a partnership with a commercial organisation to operate a hosted instance of grano.
  • Develop a revenue model for the service.