The Vietnamese Intellectual Networks Database (VIND) project from the University of California, Berkeley (UCB) was established in 2014. This project aims to redevelop a database that archives the work of Colonial-Era Vietnamese intellectuals and activists and was created by doctoral candidates history, Matthew Berry and Cindy A. Nguyen under the direction of faculty advisor Alexander Cook. The database serves as a digital platform for charting the movements, interconnections, and political and literary activities of significant figures in Vietnamese society during a period of rapid changes and mounting political tensions. Until its ultimate completion of the database in early 2018, VIND seeks to trace historical content by charting these figures’ movements, and by drawing relational connections between these figures using both primary and secondary sources. With a focus on visual data and an interactive map, this database will offer comprehensive insight into Vietnamese intellectual networks from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Geographic visualizations of biographies, activists’ texts, and interactive mapping will also be featured within this project. VIND will offer scholars valuable resources, and in general, contribute to new perspectives on the socio-cultural history of Vietnam and East Asian regional history.
This project aggregates data on twentieth century activists beginning with the prominent Phan Bội Châu’s (1867-1940) movements and will also feature those prominent scholars who followed him. Such as Phan Chu Trinh (1872-1926), Lương Văn Can (1854-1927), Ngô Đức Kế (1878-1929) and Huỳnh Thúc Kháng (1876-1947)” (Berry, 2014). Berry and Nguyen will continue to process data by enabling cross-references and plotting multiple numerical spatial metrics to show geographical movement, statistical data, and communication networks.
A project demonstrating VIND’s goal is the Mapping Decadence developed by Hélène Huet. This project utilized ArcGis to “show how location played a role in shaping the collaborations between Decadent writers and their publishers at the end of the nineteenth century in Paris” (Huet, 2016). Huet included authors such as Jean Lorrain into Mapping Decadence and if users click on a line, information appears in a pop-up box. Huet states, “you will thus learn who lived where and when, what books they published and with whom, where they were living or working at the time, and where their publishers were located” (Huet, 2016). This project emphasizes on networking renowned intellectuals through databases, such as ArcGis.
Furthermore, VIND’s focus on geographic mapping through the use of ArcGIS software, is critical for this project to display regional shifts of these activists. This database utilizes physical maps and geographic information to create digital maps, and compiles geographic data, map analysis, and allows for the sharing discovery of geographic information. Although ArcGIS is a proprietary source, the Berkeley’s campus offers this software to this community and VIND’s use of ArcGIS highlights the importance of creating various projects with this software.
The original VIND platform experimented with a few databases, including building and manipulating prototypes with MySQL, an open-source relational database management system. Nguyen states, “MySQL features include a performance schema that collects and aggregates statistics about server execution for monitoring purposes” (personal communication, 2016). VIND subsequently used MySQL to conduct query performances in order to structure the database. However, rather than rely upon custom programming, Nguyen and Berry utilize the content management software, Drupal. This open-source software offers users the chance to create websites and web applications. Drupal is known for helping users create versatile and structured content suitable to diverse web experiences. Drupal was useful for the Vietnam Intellectual Networking Database project because of its options for add-on extensions and expansive modules. Nguyen says Drupal was optimal because, “[they], we as content specialists can avoid investing time and energy in custom programming technical needs and can build upon Drupal’s existing knowledge base and extensive collection of user-supported modules” (personal communication, 2016). As he suggests, this platform not only provides convenience for the project members, but also for the website’s users.
Drupal integrates external services so that users can add other features to their personalized sites. The upgraded Drupal 7 conforms to the World Wide Web Consortium and supports the development of accessible D7AX or Drupal 7 accessibility modules and themes. This way, other users can become contributors to the Vietnamese Intellectual Networking project. By adding sources, new users from across the globe can enter information into the database because “thanks to a lower technical barrier of entry and its popularity, Drupal allows collaborators, assistants, and future contributors to access the database more easily” (personal communication, 2016). Accessibility for a variety of users, it seems, is critical for the future expansion of the VIND. Moreover, Nguyen highlights the importance of these users in other areas of VIND’s design, noting especially the need for residents within Berkeley. Nguyen also noted that there is a pre-existing community of local Drupal users at Berkeley, “who [they] can draw upon for guidance” (personal communication, 2016).
For the sustainability of the VIND project, Nguyen suggested that, “throughout the semesters, all data will have three backup copies through Drupal’s ‘Backup and Migrate’ module, on bDrive, and on an external hard drive” (personal communication, 2016). Back up drives and hard drives enable the data of this project to be retained and the website notes, “with Backup and Migrate you can dump some or all of your database tables to a file download or save to a file on the server or offsite, and to restore from an uploaded or previously saved database dump” (drupal.org). This feature allows users, especially Nguyen and Berry to preserve their sources for VIND. In addition, Drupal also exports into CSV, XLS, DOC, XML, and TXT formats through the module ‘Views Data Export.’ Drupal’s website that, “it provides a display plugin that can be rendered progressively in a batch” (drupal.org). This module is designed to provide a way to export large amounts of data from views and allows for easier access for future contributors and the academic community at large. Moreover, Nguyen states, “these copies will have thorough version history, track changes, and documentation on significant intellectual and technical decisions saved as readme.txt files” (personal communication, 2016). For a project like VIND that can thrive as a result of community interaction, these record-keeping features are crucial.
The coordinators of VIND emphasize preserving their data through multiple platforms. Nguyen explained that, “in Spring 2016, we will begin to use DASH! to manage and archive our tabular data” (2016, e-mail). DASH! is an open source software offering instructional features such as JavaScript for users to view quickly and efficiently. This open source platform offers users the ability to save features through one web browser and allows them to see specific features from the VIND on Dash!. In addition, as a reliable secondary source, VIND will also be preserved through the UC3Meritt, a cost-effective repository service from the University of California Curation Center (UC3). This service “.. lets the UC community manage, archive, and share its valuable digital content” (Perry, 2015). UC Merritt provides long-term preservation of digital assets, sharing research with others for data sharing and preservation requirements for a grant-funded project. This source allows the VIND project to preserve and share their digital content. UC Merritt preservation highlights the multiple digital projects at UC Berkeley and allows users worldwide to retrieve these sources.
The Institute of East Asian Studies (IEAS) graduate fellowship provided grant funding to VIND during its first stage of development. However, in its restructuring phase, VIND is currently funded by the UC Berkeley’s postdoctoral fellowships in Digital Humanities. This is a partnership between the Office of the Dean of Arts and Humanities and the College of Letters and Sciences funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. In its current form, the fellowship proposal reads as follows:
“This is a two-year position, beginning July 1, 2016 and concluding June 30, 2018. The first year we offer $62,500 plus $11,813 in a very generous benefit package. The second year compensation will be $65,000 with a benefit package totaling $12,285. In addition, the fellow will receive $6,000 the first year and $6,000 the second year as a technology and research stipend. Finally, there is a modest yearly fund for materials and supplies (up to $1,000 yearly).” (digitalhumanities.berkely.edu). As a project improving its’ database, VIND will require various technological developments and partnering with the web developer of the DASH! and the data librarian at UC Berkeley.
To assist the VIND’s project coordinators’ expertise in multiple databases and academic research in Vietnamese history, a minimum of one intern is needed to redevelop this project. Furthermore, each team member will contribute to at least 20% for this project. The PhD. student salary is $29,000 and contributes to 20% giving at $5,800. The PhD candidate or the co-director’s salary is $32,000 and offers $6,400. On the other hand, the faculty advisor, Cook’s annual salary is at approximately $75,000 and he contributes 15% providing $11,250 to redevelop VIND. In his capacity as faculty advisor, Cook markets the VIND project to highlight the significance of the East Asian Studies at Berkeley, and to especially to strengthen the DH program at this renowned institution. The total of these contribution ranges $23,450 for one year. Additionally, fringe benefits or employee benefits includes social security to medical benefits is crucial for these project members, and it includes at least 10- 15%. In sum, the first year for the fringe benefits for the first year is $5,572.50.
The VIND project relies on a few experts for its reconstruction, which include a data librarian, a fluent French speaker, a DASH! developer, campus facilities, and the UC Merritt preservation program. The data librarian’s salary charged with to redesigning the architecture of the database and ensuring its technical sustainability is salaried at $75,000 per annum. With a librarian’s expertise in coding, a consultant fees requires at least 35% of the total contributions to the VIND project and for the first year, a consulting fee applies, which creates an expenditure of $75 a day, over 45 days for a total of $3,375. Mentioned before, a fluent, French undergraduate student is required to translate these historical texts into English. This intern will be paid $15.75 an hour for 14 days to contribute to this project. Since these coordinators are staff members on the Berkeley’s campus, they will receive at least 15% of the fringe benefits.
Preservation services such as the UC Merritt and Dash! also require fees to sustain this project for users worldwide to retrieve these sources. For VIND to be recognized and efficient for users, the project coordinators recruited a Dash! developer. This developer’s annual salary is $136,000 and this project disburses $80 a day to the Dash! developer for 25 days for the first year at a cost of $2,000. Additionally, the UC Merritt digital preservation costs $1,000 for a year. With the UC Berkeley’s facilities, the project coordinators rely on these campus resources and the use of proprietary software. The price for the first year’s fee is $7,500 including a database such as ArcGis Pro, costing a one-time of $1,500. Specifically, the VIND project relies on such campus facilities from the Digital Humanities Lab (D-Lab) in Barrow Halls. Moreover, the co-director will travel to New York to announce the VIND project for two days at the Mellon Foundation in the first year, which will cost $550 along with $150 in additional travel expenses. In total, the first year of completing VIND is $56,571.
As quoted before, the Mellon Foundation will offer more funding for the second year, “as the compensation rises to $65,000. The second phase of this project requires advanced research and the eventual announcement of the VIND Project completion. During this second year, the project coordinators will each contribute to 15% to 20% except for the faculty advisor who will contribute a 15% ($11,550). Salaried raises during the second year will allow project coordinators to maintain contributions toward completing VIND. The co-directors’ income during the 2017-2018 academic year is set at $33,000, with an expected contribution of $6,600. The director’s salary for the following year is set at $30,500, with an expected contribution of $6,100. In total, the project coordinators will contribute $28,100. The data librarian’s salary during this year will be set at $80,000, but this time for this project consulting fees will span for 170 days at $85 per day, amounting to a total of $14,450. Furthermore, the additional fee includes electricity in the D-Lab will be set at $80 per month for 180 days for a total cost of $14,400. The additional fee to preserve the VIND project from the UC Merritt includes a $5,000 features-related cost to preserve this project.
To promote the VIND project on the Berkeley’s campus, supplies and materials are also critical. Consultant fees for the second year paying a graphic design student $1,792 ($16 an hour for 14 days). In addition, necessary supplies to post flyers in various Berkeley departments, which include colored copies costing $3.00 each and with a two hundred copies, will cost the project $600. To showcase the East Asian Studies program, a representative from this department will announce this project through social media and at community events held at this campus. This individual will contribute for $16 an hour for 21 days, for a total cost of $2,688.
In the second year, many UCB affiliates will contribute to the VIND project and will require fringe benefits. Moreover, 10% of this benefit includes the interns such as the graphic designer resulting in $215; where as the representative in the East Asian Studies is $323.
VIND will be exhibited at the Andrew Mellon Foundation in 2018 and will require traveling fees to New York. Both the co-director and the director will both travel to the Mellon Foundation for three days costing $658 and will require an additional $150 for additional travel expenses while traveling. In total, the traveling fee is $958. In sum, the second-year cost will total of $97,019. In addition, the direct and indirect costs ranges from $2,500- $3,000 and the total, two-year price for this grant project is $158,590.
The Andrew Mellon Foundation offers $102,390 to redevelop the VIND project and the outright funds is $90,390. In addition, both the federal matching fund and the third party-contribution are $12,000, along with $44,4200 from the applicants’ contribution. In total cost sharing, this project concludes to $97,019 and in sum, the overall funds for this project is $158,590.
Not only will VIND’s reconstruction offer additional features to the departmental database, this project will also emphasize the importance of East Asian Studies at the University of California of Berkeley. This project also highlights the various opportunities for the Digital Humanities program at UCB to collaborate with many campus departments including History and East Asian Studies for users worldwide to retrieve and search these digital projects.
References:
Berry, Matthew. University of California, Berkeley Digital Humanities (2014) “Vietnamese Intellectual Network Database.” Berkeley DH. http://digitalhumanities.berkeley.edu/projects/vietnamese-intellectual-networks-database. Web. 22 Feb. 2016.
Drupal, About, (2011) “Drupal 7”. Drupal. https://www.drupal.org/about/drupal-7. Web. 25 Apr. 2016.
Glassdoor, University of California Berkeley (2016). “University of California, Berkeley”. https://www.glassdoor.com/Salary/University-of-California-Berkeley-Salaries-E32512_P2.htm, Web. 24 Apr. 2016.
Huet, Hélène (2016) “Mapping Decadence Visualizing Relationships between Writers and Publishers”. https://mappingdecadence.wordpress.com/category/decadence/, Web. 03 May 2016.
Perry, Matthew “UC3Merritt” (2015), University of California Digital Library. https://merritt.cdlib.org. Web. 22. Apr. 2016.
Sato, Ayaka. “VIND Project.” Message to Cindy Nguyen. 22 Feb. 2016. E-mail.
University of California, Berkeley Digital Humanities (2016) “Postdoctoral Mellon Fellowships in the Digital Humanities, 2016-2018”. Berkeley DH. http://digitalhumanities.berkeley.edu/funded-coursesprojects. Web. 25 Apr. 2016.