Adaptive Information

• New Paradigm for considering application integration and B2B problems
• Heightens the importance of conveying meaning between systems
• Addresses movement in the EAI space toward more data handling capabilities
• Offers a solution for the multitude of managers disconnected with the latest technologies
• Leverages the technical advances made in complex data integration over 15 years
• Shifts the focus from technology solutions to information solutions
• Relies heavily on the use of practical examples, tips, definitions, and soapbox excerpts throughout the main body of text

List of Illustrations xvii

List of Tables and Other Sidebar Elements xxi

Foreword xxiii

Preface xxv

Acknowledgments xxxi

Part One: Why Semantic Interoperability?

1. Semantic Interoperability Gives IT Meaning 3

2. Information Infrastructure Issues and Problems 23

3. Promise of Frictionless Information 39

Part Two: Semantic Interoperability Primer

4. Foundations in Data Semantics 69

5. Semantic Conflict Solution Patterns 99

6. MetaData Archetypes 127

7. Ontology Design Patterns 145

8. Multimodal Interoperability Architecture 195

9. Infrastructure and E-Business Patterns 223

Part 3: Adopting Semantic Technologies

10. Capability Case Studies 259

11. Adoption Strategies 305

12. Tomorrow’s Adaptive and Dynamic Systems 333

Appendices

Appendix A. Vendor Profiles, Tools, and Scorecards 347

Appendix B. Acronyms and Abbreviations 375

Endnotes 379

Index 383

"Overall, I found the book to be enjoyable and informative, with lots of references and pointers to areas of interest. The variety of topics discussed within the book encourages the reader to read outside of their core specialisms." (BCS, 1 November 2010)"

...an essential read for all Semantic Web practitioners-from CIOs to CTOs and architects to managers...a must-read for upper management." (IEEE Distributed Systems Online, August 2005)

JEFFREY T. POLLOCK is an executive leader in the enterprise software business, as well as a university instructor and technology visionary in the emerging field of data semantics.

RALPH HODGSON is the cofounder of TopQuadrant, a consulting firm that specializes in semantic technologies and services for software innovation through "Solution Envisioning with Capability Cases."

Creating dynamic, adaptive, self-configuring enterprise infrastructures

As many traditional integration technologies prove inadequate to the tasks for which they were designed, it has become clear that any effective EAI (Enterprise Application Integration) solution requires a new approach to thinking about enterprise infrastructures. Adaptive Information provides that new approach. This groundbreaking guide introduces a revolutionary new framework for the infrastructure of the future: semantically aware; driven by models of information, process, and service interfaces; and able to learn new behavior, find patterns, and rebuild itself for different platforms.

Offering copious pragmatic examples of how semantic interoperability already fosters new capabilities, speeds up processes, and reduces costs, the authors provide a solid foundation in semantics and describe how metadata, ontologies, and software tools are used to provide semantic interoperability. Readers learn how to:

• Organize and architect a semantic interoperability project
• Make decisions about tools
• Choose the most appropriate architectural patterns and technologies
• Achieve new capabilities, including dynamic information repurposing, adaptive service-oriented networks, and loosely coupled application connections

Complete with plenty of helpful tips, definitions, and practical examples, Adaptive Information is must reading for CIOs and CTOs, IT managers, IT architects, and application developers alike.