Description

The work plan counts with implementation of the pilot phase of the distributed information system with Web access in 24 months from the start of the project. Relatively long preparation stage will last 12 months, but a thorough analysis will enable high-quality design of the information system. Filling of the system with real data about facilities on the European scale and tuning up of the system will take another 12 months. In the meantime long term strategy on the use and access to the system will be developed by capturing the demand, identifying the critical facilities involved and further enhancing the functionality, integrity and distribution of the system, including other national networks on transport research infrastructure, which participation will be encouraged by dissemination of the achievements of the project consortium.

Main network outputs will be

1. Catalogue of available facilities.
2. Distributed database and Web access system.
3. Study about strategy of further use of developed system.
4. Designed business model of the network.

Main milestones of solution will be

1. Seven meetings of all partners.
2. Final workshop common to both INTRANSNET and TREE networks.
3. Functional distributed information system.
4. Strategy for continued networking and co-operation beyond EC funding period.

The network is relatively simple and therefore no complicated management structure is needed. The project calculates with consortium consisting of 12 members one co-ordinating institution and nine contracting institutions and two other members. Eight members are located in the European Union and two in the associated countries. The co-ordinator of the project will be Centre for Transportation Research of University of Zilina.

The objective of the network would be to establish a structured co-operation between major establishments of medium and large-scale facilities relating to transport research. The co-operation and networking would seek to promote support for valuable facilities that may otherwise be threatened.

The intention of the project is to create an information-communication system covering various kinds of information from the field of transport. This can be named as creation of interactive information-communicational retrieval service. Apart from information-communicational infrastructure, a table of contents is vital for the service. Its understanding, categorization and precise specification are the most important factor in future designs of the network. We have to bear in mind that it is not the websites themselves that are going to be further presented, sold or used but it is the stored information. Although the practical solution of the information-communicational system and creation of websites is inevitable, it is not the concern of the final user. His/her concern is the stored information, which he/she can easily obtain via Internet. The further development of the network beyond the project is envisaged for usage by final users providing a service of required value (by value we mean a relationship between quality of a service and its price).

Approach to solution of information system (IS) is systematic and is formed by the following steps:

1. Definition of properties of the IS.
2. Application of the IS.
3. Method of solution and realisation of IS.
4. Design and choice of optimal solution of IS.
5. Design and debugging of software.
6. Activation of the information system (trial service).

The procedure allows determining the order of solution steps arranged in logical order without risk of forgetting some important actions. Chosen methodological order creates basic assumptions for management of the whole project. Steps 1 to 3 are parts of this project and steps 4 to 6 are objects of solution and realisation of the project.

The system should provide relevant information about technical equipment, parameters, possibilities and conditions of its use and sharing. System should create conditions for mutual co-operation and exchange of information among transport specialists and institutions working in transport. It should allow processing whole spectrum of information from text to multimedia. Access to chosen information is authorised so that it will be possible to provide them on a commercial basis.

The information system INTRANSNET should be user-friendly without difficult central server administration. User uses commonly available communication and search software allowing easy upgrade. Information system should be open and it should allow continuous installing of new services. The system should also contain tools for provided services attendance and interest evaluation. Contents of information resources will be able to be actualised on-line. Moreover, the system should allow providing of paid services e.g. advertisement banners of companies involved in transport. The information system will be in action 24 hours 7 days a week. The language for communication with users will be English. As a main communication medium we propose to use Internet and possibly take into account other alternatives. These alternatives should be hybrid telecommunication infrastructure based on IP DVB platform. The network consists of satellite/fibre-optic links. This type of infrastructure became standard one in US in our days. It allows developing Infomedia services and distribution of multimedia information content.

After realisation and activation the INTRANSNET will be at disposal of European transport research institutions, companies producing transport machinery, transport building industry and all concerned in transport. The whole system will allow institutions working in the field of transport to find contacts with institutes and organisations operating specialised testing devices, measure and diagnostic devices etc. By means of the information system the involved subjects share information about transport policy trends, consult mutual problems, share experiences etc.

Solution of this system considering given characteristics will be based on features and possibilities of information communication service – telecooperation. Its implementation could be easy with little costs and it would allow continuous installing of new functions for end users. Telecooperation is an application appropriate for individuals, working groups and organisations. Its purpose is to improve mutual communication and access to information. Telecooperation supports work in open as well as closed working groups. Its contribution would be in increasing productivity, effective approach to shared information and in lowering costs. Technical solution deals with utilization interactive information communication services (conversational, message mediation, search, information sharing).
Generally telecooperation uses standard network services:

1. E-mail (it is easy, functional and reliable).
2. On-line discussion and mailing list (co-operation inside of working groups).
3. Information sharing (mostly web sites).
4. Sharing of computer data and applications (spreadsheets, databases, texts, graphics).
5. Videoconferences.

European Telework Development Initiative also supports Telecooperation as a service. In the first phase the solution of the INTRANSNET will be aimed at implementation of e-mail, electronic conferences and mainly at information sharing. To meet the requirements from the paragraph Design, solution and implementation of information system. all functions the planned information network will be realised with state-of-the-art web technologies. The solution’s mission will be designing such architecture, so that the web site’s user would be able to obtain maximum amount of information. Good solutions can be achieved implementing 3-layer architecture (data layer, medium layer, and client layer) combined with XML (e.g. Windows Distributed interNet Architecture). A simple example of the principles of the proposed solution is on the next chart:

E-mail, on-line discussion, conferences are common services and their implementation should not be problematic. We shall concentrate on information sharing. Information system’s basis is a data layer. Definition of a data layer is a part of information design. Information design is detailed planning of specific information that is to be provided to a particular audience in order to meet specific objectives. Relevant information, unequivocally describing special technical equipment of research facilities will be placed in relation database. The type of database system will be chosen according to data items (SYBASE, SQL Server, ORACLE). Searching and accessing database will be performed by means of web server and dynamic web pages. Communication between web server and database will be made via CGI script. Script transforms client’s request to the form of a SQL command and it transforms the output from database to HTML format, so that the browser can view the answer at the user’s web site. The solution’s mission, together with choice of database system, will also be choice of appropriate script language (ASP, Java Script, PHP, Perl). Designed technology of dynamic web sites allows creating equipments for database access authorisation. Other forms of data change are provided by XML technology. Next task that will need to be solved is the choice of system environment. UNIX (Linux) or Windows are going to be taken into consideration. While choosing an operating system it is needed to take into account what web server it supports (Apache, Internet Information System etc.), whether it supports chosen database, whether ODBC drivers are available and whether the system supports multimedia data and XML technology. Operating system must guarantee safety of the whole system, reliable communication, and work in multi-user mode.

Software at the client's side is a common web browser (Internet Explorer, Netscape etc.). If needed the functionality can be upgraded via plugins. An important task will be the graphical design of the web site that will represent user interface. An important feature of the whole system is the method of information search. The easiest and least costly is a search using keywords. Its drawback is that the primary selection is often needed to be specified. Our mission will, therefore, be designing and evaluating new more sophisticated information search methods what means to verify the possibilities of tools for building expert systems (CLIPS, JESS etc.) and of XML technology.

For administration and further operation of information system, we will add logouts to the web server from which we can process the statistics of web site operation. For the case of paid services, we shall appraise also the legal aspect of the problem.

As a communication medium, the designed information system INTRANSNET will use the computer network Internet. Current Internet allows communication between server and users and at the same time it provides the possibility to use services from the area of e-commerce (B2C, B2B). Method of connecting server with Internet, firewall and proposal of domain registration will be a part of the technical solution of the project.

Server's hardware configuration is determined by characteristics of application and system software and by information system's operation. The system should be able to answer, in real time, tens of questions simultaneously. We propose to protect databases using RAID arrays and uninterruptible power supply.

The operational costs will comprise of electricity costs, fees for Internet service provider, and costs for server administration. In optimal web site design we suppose that the majority of costs will be covered by profit from paid services.

The processed and stored information cover different types of transport and are designed for various areas of use. Categorization of contents by different criteria will form a basis for searching for its use and specific application. Categorization will be targeted on an easy access for the user.

Supposed categories of information are:

1. Information for research at different levels and types of transport
2. Information for service at different levels and types of transport
3. Information for control at different levels and types of transport
4. Information for use of transport service
5. Information for other areas

Potential users are institutions involved in transport and areas cooperating with transport. According to realized categorization it will be possible to create customer segments and accomplish a marketing survey of supposed interest. On the basis of concord of collected and stored information's categorization and on the basis of ascertaining of interest in existing as well as other information it is possible to form real customer segments and according to their interest create customer segments.

We can suppose creation of:

1. Closed user groups
2. Private user groups of one type of transport
3. Research user groups
4. Providing the service to public

On the basis of ascertaining of application and corresponding to real and supposed use of processed and stored information it is conceivable that it is possible to plan and on the basis of it's results to perform the aforesaid I-C service.

Proposals of service realization projects and their evaluation is the basic assumption for further development of service, which in this case is providing information in form of interactive retrieval service available through the Internet. For designing a service it is possible to create own methodology or to apply processes used in design of other products. One of such tools is value analysis. Value analysis' philosophy is based on two factors: functions and costs. These two are crucial for the final user. He/ she requires the project to have functional ability and to be manufactured at such costs that he/she can afford it. This principle explains the concept of value. It applies to products as well as services. The concept of value analysis contains different tools and methods that are able to coordinate cooperation of all designers creating a value chain.

For the proposed service it is:

1. Information providers
2. Information processors
3. I-C infrastructure providers
4. Service providers
5. Service users

The assuredness of cooperation among all designers requires ability and interpretation of a solution of the previous step, qualification to create a business model respecting information user's requirements. Apart from technical solution the service's business model contains organizational bindings among designers and management of service operation. It is possible to create more solutions, from which the best is the basis of future successful service operation, in case of the project an information retrieval service.