# Murmurations Road Map Building Blocks

## 1. Updated Wordpress aggregator plugin

**What**: Rebuild the Murmurations [WP Aggregator plugin](https://github.com/MurmurationsNetwork/MurmurationsAggregatorWP) to fully implement the Murmurations v1 architecture with handling for multiple schemas and indices, deduplication and merging of nodes, and an internal configuration API that supports bundling the "white labeled" plugin in a bespoke wrapper for aggregator networks.

**Why**: To grow an interoperable data ecosystem, adoption should be easier than the siloed, centralized alternatives. The Aggregator plugin gives network organizations an extremely fast and cost-effective way to build a customizable, dynamically-updated map/directory of their network. For organizations that use Wordpress, if this is as easy as installing a plugin, the path to widespread adoption is a smoother one.

## 2. React components for filterable map and directory interfaces

**What:** Build portable React components for map and directory interfaces (including schema-driven filters and a defined configuration API) for use in third-party sites, the aggregator WP plugin (#1), and the front-end of a hosted, embeddable aggregator (#5).

**Why**: High quality UX is important for growing the Murmurations network and driving adoption of interoperable data. By building re-usable components for aggregator interfaces, we further reduce the barrier-to-entry for organizations that want to adopt Murmurations, and give additional options for how an instance of a Murmurations aggregator can be built. On top of that, we get best-of-class UI tech for Wordpress aggregator installations and the future hosted aggregator.

The [demo aggregator](https://aggregator.murmurations.network/) is built using React, but for the code used in the demo to be portable to other systems it requires separating the UI from the demo's specific data access mechanisms. This means defining an API for the UI components, so they become back-end agnostic tools for displaying and querying Murmurations data.

## 3. Updated Wordpress node plugin using RJSF

**What:** Rebuild the [Murmurations Node WP plugin](https://github.com/MurmurationsNetwork/MurmurationsNodeWP) to use Murmurations v1 index and library architecture, with [React JSON-Schema Forms](https://github.com/rjsf-team/react-jsonschema-form) powering a flexible schema-driven input form.

**Why:** The Murmurations node plugin allows any person, project, or organization to easily add their self-hosted data to the network. This update will make the node plugin compatible with the v1 architecture, by dynamically building a data entry interface from multiple schemas using the React JSON-Schema Forms component. The result: super low barrier-to-entry to the Murmurations network for the 33% of websites that run Wordpress.

## 4. Hosted aggregator back end using Kubernetes and Golang/MongoDB/Elasticsearch

**What:** a generic "headless" Murmurations aggregator, built on the same highly-scalable, performant technology that powers the v1 Murmurations index and library.

**Why:** this high-powered aggregator will allow several interesting Murmurations use cases. Organizations that want to self-host the aggregator UI components (#3) can use this generic back-end if they don't want to handle their own querying and caching of data from the Murmurations network. And, along with the hosted front end (#5) this high-performance back end will permit super simple deployments of embedded maps and directories in network website.

## 5. React front-end on Vercel, with query parameter handling for embeddable map interface

**What:** React aggregator interface (#2) hosted on Vercel, and configured to pass query parameters from URL + filters to hosted back-end (#4) to retrieve data.

**Why:** this will enable an ultra-rapid "aggregator-as-a-service" offering for organizations that want the fastest and simplest possible full-featured mapping implementation. Organizations can simply embed the map interface in an iframe, specifying data and display parameters in the URL, and have a high-quality map UI up and running on their own web site in a matter of minutes.