Stratocore's PPMS Software
Basics
- PPMS (Platform-Pilot Management Software) is a web based application for the management of shared scientific resource centers and research core facilities (platforms). It optimizes access and shared use of communal resources.
- PPMS was developed specifically for the management of core facilities by developers working in core facilities. Since the start of this project in 2003, the features of PPMS have been thoroughly tested on-site and fine-tuned based on user feedback. Today PPMS is used by more than 50 research institutions worldwide.
- Provides a streamlined, intuitive, user-friendly web interface - no user training necessary. Personalization with your institution’s logos and colors available.
- With our best-in-class web-based calendars, book any experiment in three clicks.
Users can also order services or consumables, and submit sample manifests in the same integrated interface (NEW). - Orders, services, user activity and staff activity can be all linked together by our scientific project feature (NEW).
- Flexible management - multiplexed pricing rules, smart cancellation policies, smart weekly limits or reservations.
All parameters (like minimum session length, access policies...) can be set independently for each resource.
Core facility information management
- Incident and maintenance tracking module - Minimizes down time and generates precise reports.
- Training requests - Users request trainings online using custimozed questionnaires. Administrators organize and validate trainings to grant user rights.
- Advanced user skill management - Three levels of user rights can be attached to each instrument individually and linked to trainings. User experience reports can be generated to identify limited activity by certain users, or long lapses (indicating that user may need assistance).
- Project management - Scientific projects can be assigned a specific grant/account number and specific price rules. User membership to projects is defined by the administrators. Users can answer customized questionnaires to request new projects. Administrators can monitor the facility's projects advancement and set milestones. (NEW)
- Publication, authorship, acknowledgement tracking - Users can be asked to report their publications that can be linked to the facility's resources. Administrators can generate per-resource reports of publication history including pubmed links.
- Usage statistics - Generate usage reports using multiple levels of filtering: per week, month or year, by instrument, by project, by type, etc. Usage distribution by lab/group and aggregated mode.
Advanced PPMS features
- Integrated invoice/bill generation - Invoice summaries and itemized bills can be generated and exported.
- Multi-facility management - A single PPMS database can handle the management of multiple core facilities that share users. Administrative rights and all facility parameters (including colors, logos and presentation) are specific to each facility.
- Advanced group (laboratory) management - Group managers (PIs, group leaders, laboratory heads, etc.) can review online and download past and present billing summaries and itemized invoices related to their group’s activity. Group managers can review online active/inactive users, grant/account numbers used by the group, and request adjustments online. This increases efficiency and communication on administrative tasks.
- Advanced user management - designed to scale to hundreds of users
- Users register their information online, designated administrators validate account requests.
- User passwords can be reset automatically by email, without staff assistance.
- Active Directory or LDAP integration is possible for user login and password, and facilitates real-time usage module. Our programmatic API (see below) can also help you managing large amounts of users and groups.
- Hybrid mode available where “internal” users can use their institutional credentials, but external collaborators can still register for independent PPMS accounts.
- Real-time usage monitoring - record in real-time who is using instruments.
- Automatic (no time-sheet upload necessary) - only a very lightweight monitoring task on the instrument workstations (compatible with Windows, Mac and Linux).
- Multiple billing modes for each instrument - Booked time only, Real usage time only, or Booked time adjusted with real usage.
- Unused booked time can be separated in the billing so it can be charged differently than normal usage.
- Automatic "fair" conflict resolution - Time charged to the current user on the instrument (by the minute) is automatically deducted from other users if the session was charged or booked by somebody else. Time is never charged twice.
- We have observed that using booked time adjusted with real time usage can increase revenues by up to 30%.
- Third party system integration
- RSS and iCalendar integration - View PPMS bookings or instruments calendars in your compatible calendar desktop software, web-based services (like Google or Yahoo calendars) or smart-phone. View PPMS events (incidents, interventions or recent cancellations) in your favorite RSS compatible interface.
- RESTful API: PPMS can also be accessed from its programmatic API. Based on RESTful / HTTPS protocols, the PPMS API will allow you to access and modify securely PPMS content remotely from third party scripts and programs, to edit/synchronize users and rights, get billing data (for integration with financial systems), get or report incidents for an instrument, report real-time usage, etc. (NEW)
We have example scripts available: for synchronizing users with a local Samba/LDAP and for Active Directory, or for validating, updating or deactivating the account numbers used to charge users and groups.
