Project No.: 5003-057753 01.01.00 - 31.12.01

Project leader: Prof Jürgen Harms, Centre Universitaire d'Informatique, University of Geneva

Name of project: ANAISOFT - Advanced Network and Agent Infrastructure for the Support of Federations of Workflow Trading Systems

Partners: Prof. Francis-Luc Perret, Département de Génie Civil, ITEP-LEM, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology at Lausanne (EPFL)
Prof. Burkhard Stiller, Institut für Technische Informatik und Kommunikationsnetze (TIK), Swiss Federal Institute of Technology at Zurich (EPFZ)
Prof. Torsten Braun, Institut für Informatik und angewandte Mathematik, University of Bern
Prof. Klaus Dittrich, Institut für Informatik, University of Zurich
Dr Harald Häuschen, Institut für Informatik, University of Zurich

Funding: 598,760.-

Summary: This is a joint project of the applicants and builds on results achieved in prior projects in SPP-ICS and above all in phase 1 of the Electronic Commerce Competence Network.

The project is motivated by the increasing necessity in business life to combine groups of suppliers and demanders in temporary cooperating groups. Enabling technologies are workflow systems and platforms for the exchange of workflows. The subject of the project is the creation of secure and responsive federations of workflow trading systems (FWTSs) integrating intelligent and mobile software agent technologies.

Systems for the electronic trading of workflows require a high degree of flexibility to cope with the extremely wide range of situations. A decentralized autonomous (software) agent architecture seems capable of providing a natural fit for these requirements and suitable for extensive networks - in this case, in particular virtual private networks (VPNs). Requirements with respect to QoS (quality of service) and charging mechanisms also have to be met. The project is expected to demonstrate that the cost efficiency of logistics in large projects (such as construction and aerospace) can benefit substantially from the FWTS concept.

The following work packages are planned:

0. Project management (Dr. Jarle Hulaas, project manager, CUI University of Geneva)

1. Coordination of many marketplaces for workflows: interoperability, adaptability, workflow information management, QoS in virtual private networks VPN (LEM EPFL, IFI University of Zurich, CUI University of Geneva)

2. Agent-based trade on the application level: cost acquisition and charging on the agent platform, defining of interfaces with the trading system, provision of agents for the federated trading system (CUI University of Geneva, LEM EPFL, IAM University of Bern, IFI University of Zurich)

3. Trading on the network services level: security, provision of dynamic services according to service grade agreement, charging mechanisms tailored to the individual user, service quality monitoring (TIK ETHZ, IFI University of Zurich, IAM University of Bern)

4. Business model, conclusion of transaction and security, legal aspects (IFI University of Zurich, IAM University of Bern, TIK ETHZ, LEM EPFL, CUI University of Geneva)

5. Demonstrator, result distribution: this package integrates the prototypes from the preceding work packages and carries out the implementation activities (IFI University of Zurich, TIK ETHZ, IAM University of Bern, CUI University of Geneva)

The project provides for continuous interaction with the business partners.

Cooperation: Canton of Vaud, infrastructure department; TheNet Internet Services AG, Bern; SER Systeme.