1 Preliminary results of the Environmental Data Exchange Network for Inland Waters (EDEN-IW) project Practical lessons. P. Haastrup

2 The Environmental Data Exchange Network for Inland Water project Funded by the EC 5th FP, IST programme, DG INFSO

3 EDEN-IW Overview Objective: access to distributed environmental data using agent technology Partners: CNR (I), ED (GR), IOW (F), NERI (DK), QMUL (UK), JRC (EC) Users community: EEA, ETC/W, IME, US-EPA, US-DOE, US-DOD Start: July 2001 – End: December Budget: 4.8 M

4 Initial (ambitious) objectives: provide access to distributed environmental data for water through an intelligent, configurable interface acting as a one-stop shop databases, translations, models, policy support

5 Vision Potentials for making a world-wide database for inland water; all water or indeed all environmental data ready for policy support

6 Data harmonisation goals: maintaining autonomy of the data custodians databases are integrated into an efficient tool shared knowledge base providing uniform access to disparate information resource Technology utilised/researched: Independent software agents. Links to previous US project EDEN.

7 Conceptual Model DB1 Resources Key Directory DB1 Ontology Tasks Agent DataBase Resources Users Human Users Web Services

8 Advanced Application

9 Agents - what are they doing ? Richer vocabulary than normal software programs –Around 50 words vocabulary agree, accept, reply, query, wait, later…….. –Conceptually similar to sending to another person, however we would like to have the environmental data returned in close to real time.

10 Features of EDEN-IW Prototype Core query and meta-data high-level queries supported Edges of system are two Web portals Data Owner Web portal implemented as Java Servlet Data User Web portal implemented as JSP System Infrastructure implemented as an integrated set of agents and Web services User Agent Queries via Form supplemented by Map User Interface Web-client on Web-server on UA node Multi-lingual queries (but not yet multi-lingual results) Results returned in graphical and table format

11 EDEN-IW Application

12 EDEN-IW GIS Interface

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27 Scaling and Aggregating Data

28 Exploitation Areas Agent Technology Data Bases and linkage to Agents System Design Ontologies and Multi-lingual Aspects Safety and Security Issues

29 Lessons and plans: Agent Technology –Maturing, but slowly –Right now slow on developments and slow on testing –Distribution issues: Open source –Network architecture issues not yet completely resolved (sub-nets, firewalls, open ports (at least 2 ports needed - most of the world are now opening only port 80! (and sometimes 25 ( servers)!!)

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31 Lessons and plans: Data Bases and linkage to Agents –Implicit knowledge in databases are hard to get explicitly build into the agents world. –Resource agents are thus laborious to make –Database owners needs convincing

32 Lessons and plans: System Design –The distributed architecture is the future… –Links to both the Water Information System for Europe (WISE) and the Intercalibration Reportnet node –( protocols may be the future to get around firewall issues) –Distributed System Architecture –User Interface Map Server using JRC/CCM

33 Ontologies and Multi-lingual Aspects Ontologies are implemented through DAML/OIL - XML/RDF We use both a global and a local implementation close to the user, and close to the resource Cross mapping is an issue Glossary (Inland water) included Propagation through the software components is an issue

34 Semantic Mapping

35 Safety and Security Issues Firewalls getting up faster than we can implement the necessary changes in the software security issues in general just similar to a web server…..

36 Work in progress: State of play after 3 years (4 month to go) Technology well understood (including limits) 2-3 Inland Water databases in system Several agents running in test net Keyword translation running in test net (3 languages). Distributed resources running on test network Real net application: work ongoing Software developed: open source

37 Final comments We have learned a lot about: –distributed systems, agents, ontologies, terminology matching, environmental management Clearly we are still some distance from rolling out the agent technology/service

38 International links EDEN project Hazardous substances (US) -> EDEN-IW (EU) Water (cross Atlantic collaboration working!!) It would be beneficial to have the research happening at the same time…..

39 What happens next ? To be discussed - also during this meeting.