The UPLB Interdisciplinary Studies Center on Food and Nutrition Security (IdSC-FaNS) is set to launch a centralized Knowledge Management System (KMS) before the start of the next academic year.
Designed as a web application, the KMS aims to address long-standing knowledge-sharing and collaboration gaps within the university’s research community.
Some of the identified gaps in the community include the distribution of information across various platforms, which makes it difficult to access. There is also a lack of public awareness of recent breakthroughs and issues concerning FaNS.
To address these problems, an undergraduate student from the College of Arts and Sciences created a KMS web app for his Special Project.
“Walang centralized area ang UPLB when it comes to food and nutrition security, walang centralized platform ng mga kakailanganin mo in the topic [of food and nutrition security] (UPLB does not have a centralized platform for topics related to food and nutrition security.),” Gabe Santos explained, a BS Computer Science student and the developer behind the platform.
How does the KMS Web App work?
The web application will be a centralized repository of FaNS-related publications and outputs.
Key features include a user-friendly dashboard to track trends, topics, and engagement; advanced search and filtering capabilities; data visualization and analytics; community interaction and discussion forums; and a user-friendly dashboard to track trends, topics, and engagement.
Aside from the storage and retrieval mechanisms, the KMS will also feature analytics and visualization. This could potentially guide the users in exploring new research endeavors and extension services inside and outside the university.
While UPLB’s main library already houses a repository of publications, the KMS introduces a new layer of interactivity. By encouraging peer-to-peer engagement, it seeks to build stronger connections across colleges, departments, and external partners.
Target Users of the KMS Web App
The KMS will feature social media-inspired engagement tools, enabling users to interact with fellow researchers. Each user can create an account, upload their research outputs in various file formats, and interact with others through likes and comments.
In addition to individual accounts, academic units, organizations, and university offices can also maintain profiles and share their outputs directly.
To maintain academic integrity and information security, an administrative team will oversee content moderation, ensuring that all posts and interactions adhere to community standards.
The web application is scheduled for pilot testing in the second week of July, and is expected to be fully operational by the start of the next academic year. (Ithan Grayne J. Borbon)
