Objective
The main objective of the CIME project in the context of emerging information highways is to expand the use of on-line information services already available by strengthening European players position, thus creating a European alternative to dominant U.S. services such as Knight Ridder DIALOG or CAS-STN and facilitating the co-operation with new partners both in the dissemination and information supply sectors.
In this respect, the co-operation between major European on-line host services (DIMDI, ESA-IRS, INFODATA, QUESTEL.ORBIT) aims at drastically enlarging the offering to the users : any user of any host service should be able to use the information of the other hosts without any additional contractual educational, training or technical implication. In practical terms, the partners have signed or are signing co-operation agreements to share their technology, their information and their services. In this respect, a first link between ESA-IRS and QUESTEL.ORBIT has been released last summer.
The objectives of such a co-operation goes far beyond a simple interlinking of the services and is in no case aiming at generating monopolistic structures or exclusive market shares. Within the consortium, the partners have adopted the term "coopetition" to ensure that, while the structure and services are made available in common, the commercial identification of each service provider remains intact and in competition with all other providers involved.
The architecture that will be put in place will make possible the multiplication of new services based on existing information sources, e.g. targeted towards a specific audience (subject or language orientated).
In practice this means a combined interoperable offering of 500 databases, an easier access to heterogeneous information through heterogeneous systems, an increase of the number of - expert and non expert - users making use of such databases, the introduction of enriched information types including multimedia possibilities, a better handling and post processing of combined results.
Such an objective will be achieved by combining assets often unique to the partners :
- sharing and combining the operational experiences of proven on-line hosts services in Europe reinforced by a constant contact with their user communities throughout the world,
- relying on a pan European software company, Sema Group Telecom, for making sure that the quality of developments is in accordance with the industry standards and that the software developed will be properly disseminated.
- taking benefit of related existing European projects when they exist, e.g. CITED and COPICAT in the field of intellectual property rights,
- setting up common rules which may become standards when necessary,
- developing and exchanging tools of common interest,
- making use of relevant technologies at any time they exist.
The results will be tested by the partners with an immediate impact on the quality and range of services offered. Then the work undertaken as common rules will be the basis for the harmonisation of other services.
There are spin-offs of certain workpackages, especially the server functions. These can be offered to information providers to set-up their own services and then they can join the future CIME operation, achieving immediate access to the combined offer. This will help to generate new business opportunities and new employment.
Lastly the developments will be made in harmony with other parts of the 4th framework programme in other EC directorates, especially DGXIII-E involved in information contents which - together with the partners - is promoting the concept of European Information Network Services (EINS) aimed at offering the user community improved and friendly information services.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques.
- natural sciencescomputer and information sciencessoftware
- natural sciencescomputer and information sciencesdatabases
- social scienceseconomics and businessbusiness and managementemployment
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Call for proposal
Data not availableFunding Scheme
CSC - Cost-sharing contractsCoordinator
92000 Nanterre
France