Leveraging Information Analysis for Enhanced Resource Allocation in Core Facilities
- Abstract number
- 141
- Presentation Form
- Poster
- DOI
- 10.22443/rms.elmi2024.141
- Corresponding Email
- [email protected]
- Session
- Poster Session
- Authors
- Nicholas Condon (1), John Srnka (1), James springfield (1)
- Affiliations
-
1. University of Queensland
- Keywords
- Resource
- Core Facility
- Information analysis
- Microscopy
- Access control
- PowerBI
- Dashboards
- Efficiency
- Training
- Budget
- Abstract text
Institutions worldwide strive to optimise resource allocation in core facilities to meet researchers' imaging and analysis needs effectively and affordably. In the past, our microscopy core facility faced challenges in accurately tracking equipment usage and billing, optimising equipment use and power management, recording equipment downtime, and correlating training effects with equipment usage and research outcomes. By addressing these challenges comprehensively, the facility aimed to enhance its efficiency and support researchers in achieving their scientific goals effectively.
We present a framework consisting of a range of tools implemented within our IMB Microscopy Facility which endeavour to deliver optimal solutions for our researchers, whilst ensuring efficient resource utilisation. Key components of the framework include the adoption of the Stratocore1 PPMS facility management platform for precise equipment tracking and invoicing, alongside the development of an Automatic Microscope Controller to provide access control and manage lamp shutdown and cooling. Custom scripts on acquisition PCs and analysis servers ensure global and individualised settings, including maintaining and reporting storage allocations, reporting session hardware and software utilisation and validating user rights and facilitate environment resets as required.
Furthermore, GUI-based software utilising the PPMS API manages multiple user access, whilst providing users with the ability to easily view session information, respond to facility notifications, modify the session charge account, report incidents, extend bookings, complete equipment usage questionnaires and control hardware power. Coupled with robust resource utilisation control and monitoring mechanisms, including hardware interlocks, access controls, and excitation lamp timers, ensure efficient resource management.
The framework leverages Microsoft PowerBI2 for information gathering and analysis, integrating data from various sources including PPMS, Google Sheets3, Workshop Attendance spreadsheets and literature searches, to derive resource utilisation patterns and usage trends into discrete dashboards. This enables informed decision-making, facilitates easier reporting generation for supervisors and funding bodies, aids in equipment and staff justification, identifies issues, and quantifies the impact of user training and experience. Furthermore, it allows for the prioritisation of equipment replacement and optimisation of budgets for novel projects.
By leveraging information analysis, our framework offers a systematic approach to resource allocation in core facilities, enhancing efficiency and enabling evidence-based decision-making. Future plans include extending the deployment of control panels and databases to other facilities within the UQ RIMS4 platform, thereby broadening the impact of the approach.
- References
2https://powerbi.microsoft.com