ICEIMT'04 Toronto, Canada

Standardization for enterprise integration and interoperability was addressed by 5 papers focusing on Frameworks, architectures, models and modelling languages:
Richard, principles for construction and use of enterprise architecture frameworks, including the aspect of interoperability of enterprise models as a foundation for model interoperability;
Kosanke, standards on framework and modelling languages;
Shorter, thoughts on formal representation of models and model languages;
Chen et al, the relations between work of the European ATHENA project and the standards on frameworks and modelling languages; and Richard et al, current work in standardisation and related activities aiming on new standards on interoperability of processes and models.

Different topics on Enterprise Integration relating to enterprise frameworks, architectures, models and modelling languages have been discussed in 10 papers:
Goranson, semantic distance between intended and perceived meaning - a problem of common understanding in the area of process and model interchange;
Bernus & Kalpic, role of knowledge categories in knowledge sharing processes and proposal for extensions to previous work;
Berio, further enhancements to UEML (Unified Enterprise Modelling Language) starting from the result of the European UEML project presenting basic theories as well as current improvements based on a data integration perspective;
Schonherr, adaptability as the main target to solve the problem of enterprise architecture sustainability through a step by step multi service integration architecture for handling internal charging routines, service monitoring and service life cycle management and presenting a prototype of a service management module;
Noran, collaborative networked organisations (CNO) life cycle meta methodology for integrating diverse CNO creation and operation knowledge;
Schmitt et al, framework for appraisal, design and simulation of e-business transactions;
Giachetti et al, research framework to investigate measures of enterprise integration types like connectivity, information sharing, interoperability, coordination, and alignment, which allows to identify technology and/or enterprise integration method best suited in a given situation;
Li & Williams, the modified definition of Enterprise Integration through studying and reclassifying different approaches based on recent results from the use of the Purdue Enterprise Reference Architecture has lead to theories of descriptiveness and prescriptiveness supporting the newly established concept of Approach 2 Architectures as well as their general requirements;
Molina et al, the underlying principles and challenges for enterprise modelling and integration, and its impact on enterprise networking to establish a coherent vision for future research;
Mendez, on strengthening the enterprise adaptation to changing markets focusing on the integration between strategic planning and business processes, as documented in CEN/ISO 19439 and 19440.

Aspects of Human Systems have been described by 4 authors:
Weston, development of a conceptual model of manufacturing enterprises which is based on the characterisation of enterprise processes like process classes, resource system types, product flows, and organisational views; exemplifying general interoperability needs and to highlight deficiencies in current enterprise modelling and enterprise integration, addressing specifically the modelling of human resources; Mausberg, team environment constituents and a proposal of an educational model/framework to better foster a team environment aimed on achieving success of projects or business processes.
Ponis & Koronis, interdisciplinary approach of the education system’s strategic planning process, leading to a proposal of a high-level reference model for Human Supply Chain (HSC) integration; and
Byer & Weston, new model of the team systems engineering life cycle, which includes four main groupings of activities corresponding to: ‘design’, ‘build’, ‘operate’ and ‘maintain’ life cycle phases through which a typical team system progresses.

The subject of Ontology was covered by 3 papers, which present different topics:
Ohren, an architecture framework ontology providing characteristics for comparing enterprise architecture frameworks, and presenting results from the comparison of six existing frameworks (FEAF - US Federal Government, DoD AF - US Department of Defense, TEAF of US Department of Treasury, TOGAF, of OMG) GERAM of IFAC/IFIP Task Force and Zachman);
Gruninger, applying ontologies to semantic integration through the process specification language PSL;
Huang & Fox, proposing knowledge provenance (KP) to address the problem about how to determine the validity and origin of information/knowledge on the web.

Another 11 papers presented different applications in the area of enterprise integration:
Chapurlat et al, work in progress, which aims at associating a systemic reference modelling approach with formal verification concepts in order to improve the user’s risk assessment toolbox to be used in manufacturing processes;
Nishioka, object model for planning and scheduling integration in system development on discrete manufacturing, dealing with frequent changes of the market being much more agile than the traditional models for production management;
Bézivin et al, some insights into transformations between some specific Domain-Specific Languages (DSL) particularly relevant to Business-to-Business (B2B) applications;
Bischoff & Graupner, 3-D laser scanning providing an optimum solution for quick, simple and realistic data acquisition for exact and consistent 3-D factory and equipment models using new developments of object recognition in unordered and incomplete laser scan point clouds;
Weisman, overview about the e-Government implementation process in the Canadian government;
Molina et al, the implementation of Business Process Management based on a Reference Framework based on Enterprise Integration Engineering concepts. The latter includes the following components: strategy definition (competitive, supply chain, operational), performance evaluation system, process design/re-design, and enabling technologies;
Ortiz et al, landscape of current problems in Enterprise Engineering and Integration, the strategies, solutions and vision about future trends;
Schmidt & Braun, development of an appropriate business model associated with B2B transactions, designed according to the newly introduced ebXML standards, thereby achieving a better definition of the economic value associated with a B2B transaction;
Jagannathan, reports on the different succeeded and failed approaches for enterprise integration used in the field of healthcare over the past decade, ending with the new approach just launched through the Health Level 7 standards organization with support from the Health and Human Services in the US;
Wattky & Neubert, process optimisation using both the supply chain operation reference (SCOR) model and the business process reengineering methodology (BPR);
Berger et al, two approaches aiming at overcoming interoperability barriers arising in communication process among humans and machines: an ontological approach, which focuses on computer supported human collaboration and human-machine interaction by means of natural languages, and an approach for machine data exchange and sharing, applying standards as highly extruded common knowledge (paper not presented).

For more information: http://www.eil.utoronto.ca/

Return to page above