Clear and reliable information for integration
CLARiFi, Clear And Reliable Information for Integration, aims to develop a broker infrastructure with the ability to provide solutions for both suppliers and integrators. The idea behind brokerage is to provide a domain where suppliers and integrators or customers can carry out business transactions. Suppliers provide information to the broker database about the components offered. Integrators can access these components to assess their suitability, and can also submit their own requirements. The broker is the critical link in the process. For the integrator the broker can identify and provide characteristics for components which are needed for integrator application, and can highlight advantages or disadvantages between different solutions. For the supplier, the broker supplies a model in which component characteristics and certification can be entered. Both parties benefit from the greatly increased market place. More specifically, CLARiFI, has developed and implemented four tools to create a suitable broker infrastructure. A Supplier Interface allows the supplier to register their components on the system. These must be entered in the form of the predefined classification model. The Classification Model defines the standards which components should meet. The Integrator Interface provides integrators with a visualization tool to view and compare candidate components. Components can be searched on the basis of particular specifications, and the system provides all components on the basis which satisfies the criteria. A Certifier Interface allows external assessors to certify both suppliers and components. The system runs using ORACLE8i version 8.1.6 and Java version 3.1. With further development, it can be used within organizations to provide large software systems for products.
