CORDIS Archive
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Efficient and safe electronic commerceACTS projects have provided not only an architecture for electronic commerce but also security standards for trading and paying and they charted rights and responsibilities in electronic interchange. Projects in this area are: OSM, ABS, MULTIMEDIATOR, SEMPER, OCTALIS, TALISMAN, MIRADOR,ATMAN, OKAPI and TELESHOPPE. For example, the OSM project built a framework for global electronic commerce and virtual trading. The SEMPER project developped a generic architecture for secure electronic commerce over the Internet. OKAPI evelopped security protocols and TELESHOPPE tested tele-presence shopping applications using virtual reality and multimedia technology.The Open Service Model for Global Information Brokerage and Distribution (OSM project AC211) built a framework for global electronic commerce and virtual trading. Its architectural suite allows for independent implementation of service management, cataloguing, brokering and provider interfaces in an open market infrastructure. The CORBA compliant OSM system promotes the emergence of specialised brokerage services. The work was extended in OSM PLUS that focussed on an interactive Development Environment (IDE) for object based e-commerce lowering the technical thresholds for users. The development of an architecture for respectively an information and a multimedia brokerage service were the main objective of the ABS (AC206) and the MULTIMEDIATOR (AC096) projects. The SEMPER (AC026) project developped a generic architecture for secure electronic commerce over the Internet. The payment manager handles cash, cards, cheques, etc. and has become a key element in commercial products supporting the SET standard for credit card payments over the Internet. Secure trading and authors rights The OCTALIS (AC242), TALISMAN, (AC019) and MIRADOR, projects developed schemes to protect work at the ealiest possible stage of creation. Multiple watermarks can be used to assert the rights of authors of the components of complex multimedia productions. The OCTALIS project designed and tested an architecture to trace audio-visual material all over the distribution chain. It uses conditional access to protect access to an object and successive watermarking to track the use of the image. An additional management layer monitors the trading. Potential buyers can browse the material but could only download it in a usable form after agreeing to buy it. Real users validated these tools in large scale trials. The ATMAN project (AC225) tested how professional users could use broadband ATM-networks to trade audio-visual materials. The OKAPI project (AC051) developped security protocols (public key cryptography) and a kernel which can be used as an access control plug-in for browsers. TALISMAN developed a way of robust watermarking and labelling of multimedia objects so copyright can be enforced. Its work is extended in the MIRADOR project that provides MPEG4 compliant watermarking suitable for audio, stills and video objects. Virtual Shopping TELESHOPPE. (AC099) tested tele-presence shopping applications using virtual reality and multimedia technology. It deployed intelligent agents to analyse the purchasing behaviour of clients and to programme virtual shop assistants to advise them. A prospective buyer of clothing could dress a customisable virtual mannequin -resembling self- with selected garments providing a realistic view of fit and look. One could move from shop to shop in a virtual mall, amongst virtual clients or avatars from other visitors. By Luc De Smet, CMASS, 20.12.1999 |