From e40972897876d1701d4a13cf7106f84a808aed3b Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Bram Janssen Date: Tue, 23 Dec 2025 13:31:39 +0100 Subject: [PATCH] docs(#46): documented preservation strategy for project portals --- instantiation/project_portal.md | 56 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++----- 1 file changed, 49 insertions(+), 7 deletions(-) diff --git a/instantiation/project_portal.md b/instantiation/project_portal.md index 57847cf..759098d 100644 --- a/instantiation/project_portal.md +++ b/instantiation/project_portal.md @@ -62,6 +62,55 @@ For the project web portal service, APEx uses the [Drupal](https://www.drupal.or platform for creating and managing web content. In addition to its extensive content management features, it also allows for detailed customization. +## Long‑Term Availability and Preservation of Project Portals + +In addition to supporting active ESA EO projects, APEx provides a pathway for long‑term availability of project portals +beyond the official project duration. As the APEx Project Environments are being onboarded into the ESA Network of Resources +(NoR), projects will be able to rely on NoR to sustain their portals over time. + +### Sustained Hosting Through NoR + +The NoR funding can be used to ensure project portals can remain online. When projects request portal hosting through NoR, +they benefit from: + +* Operational continuity of the portal after the project ends +* Continued cloud hosting, maintenance, and security updates delivered by APEx service partners +* Continued access for stakeholders, enabling outreach, communication, and follow‑up activities + +Projects are therefore encouraged to include portal hosting and maintenance costs in their planning, so the portal can +remain in the NoR‑supported operations after the project’s conclusion. + +### Preservation and Retirement Strategy + +APEx provides a practical long‑term strategy to ensure that project portals remain accessible while keeping +operational costs manageable: + +* As long as NoR funding or project budget is available, portals remain fully operational. +* When funding is exhausted, portals may be taken offline but, if requested, preserved as a retirement snapshot. This ensures\ +they can be restored later if needed, without losing the portal’s content or structure. + +### Independent Preservation of Project Results + +While project portals provide a unified and user‑friendly interface for presenting project outcomes, it is important to +note that the long‑term preservation of project results does not depend on the portal. + +All key project outputs, including: + +* deliverables +* datasets and derived products +* workflows and pipelines +* algorithms and application packages + +are preserved in dedicated ESA‑managed systems, such as: + +* the [ESA Project Results Repository (PRR)](https://browser.apex.esa.int/external/eoresults.esa.int/stac?.language=en) +for data and products +* document and deliverable archives managed by ESA +* the [Algorithm Services Catalogue](../propagation/onboarding.md#apex-algorithm-catalogue) for workflows and algorithms + +This means that even if a project portal is retired or offline, the authoritative project outputs remain accessible to +the EO community without requiring dedicated hosting resources. + ## Examples @tbl-portal-examples showcases example projects that use the APEx Project Web Portal: @@ -78,10 +127,3 @@ for detailed customization. For a step-by-step guide on how to use and manage your project web portal, refer to the official [Project Web Portal User Guide](../guides/project_portal/) - -:::{.callout-tip} - -## Stay Tuned - -Additional information will be shared on this page as the project progresses. -:::