EQUIP2 Integration Options

Introduction

"the key essence of EQUIP: providing an integrated state/event model for developing loosely coupled (usually distributed) applications"

We would like to be make use of EQUIP2 as a common "platform", to support a range of projects and activities. What does mean and imply? What are the technical issues and options?

What is a platform?

In the sense of model-driven architecture, it is that on which the rest is built, that which can be taken for granted. The platform may include: concepts and guidelines, interfaces (i.e. data types and APIs, protocols, file-formats), libraries of code, applications (e.g. supporting services, tools), data resources (e.g. media assets). There is a presumption of coherence and interoperability within the scope of the platform.

What is the EQUIP2 platform?

Potentially...

• A focus on per-device local data management as a unifying concept.
  
• A common abstract data model, effectively that of Hessian, i.e. primitives, strings, arrays and maps keyed by strings. But potentially complicated with some consideration of subclassing??
• A standard data externalisation format, i.e. Hessian, perhaps with extra heuristics.
  
• A synchronous data management API, including retrieval by template matching (embodied in/mapped to the abstract data model, at least at present).
• An asynchronous data change notification API/facility.
• A Java J2ME/J2SE library implementing the above.
• Various J2ME and J2SE libraries implementing particular data persistence facilities under the above APIs (i.e. effectively implementing the internal SPI).
• A remote dataspace access API.
• A remote dataspace access protocol, not separely documented, based currently on a combination of Hessian marshalling and PART network event/game object facilities.
• Potentially multiple file formats, e.g. the externalisation of the file-backed persistent dataspace implementation, a future dataspace activity log file format (with timestamps, header, etc.).
• Other things built on top of this...?!
• other communication or replication options
• generic and specific tools, e.g. dataspace browser
• generic and specific applications, e.g. dataspace server, dataspace rendezvous
• UI facilities
• information capture facilities (software sensors?!)
• links to other tools/formats, e.g. e-social science replaytool2.