Semantic Web Services Initiative
Architecture Committee (SWSA)
Work Plan

Objectives

  1. To identify, through use case analysis, a set of key functional elements needed to enable semantic web service capabilities, such as dynamic interoperability and compositionality, and to enumerate
    requirements for the implementation of these functions in different architectural environments.
  2.  To develop abstract protocols for interaction with the middleware functions delineated in (1) to support semantic web services. These protocols should be realizable in the specification language(s) developed by the SWSI Language committee.

Major Tasks

  1. Identify common functionalities required to support semantic web services.  These functions may be provided as parts of clients, servers, or middleware in support of activities including the following:
  2. Develop use cases in different operational environments that identify protocol requirements and alternative software architectures for distributing the support functions described in (1).
    Environments to be considered include:
          a. Web Services extended to work in a Semantic Web environment.
          b. Large-scale B2B services operating on their own networks
          c. Grid computing for scientific communities
          d. Pervasive computing (wireless local service discovery & use)
          e. Traditional Agent-based computing environments (e.g. FIPA, JADE, RETSINA, OAA, CoABS GRID)
  3. Develop abstract protocols for the identified support functions. Work with the SWSL committee to represent these protocols in the language(s) they develop.
  4. Determine the feasibility of implementing these service support functions as extensions of the W3C WS reference architecture. 
  5. Develop small exploratory prototypes to validate the concepts developed. 

Deliverables

  1. Use Cases and Requirements Document: Identify functional elements to be included and provides examples of their role in different architectural environments.
  2. Specification of a formal model of the protocols from Task 3 and examples of  its application to the domains of the use cases developed in Task 2 above.
  3. Provide on our public website:
  4. Submission of architecture proposal document to W3C (or other appropriate venue)
  5. Publications in forums such as WWW Conference, ISWC, etc.

Milestones

  1. Working draft of document covering requirements and 4 key Use Cases by November 2003.
  2. Development of a coordinated SWSI submission to W3C by January, 2005.

Measures of success

  1. Timely production of deliverables
  2. Uptake by other researchers
  3. Uptake by industry
  4. Adoption as basis for standardization effort at W3C (or other appropriate venue)