Brokering Framework: Preliminary Recommendations

Software component interoperability is implemented by defining and using common standards and protocols. In a web services framework, interoperability protocols  are characterized by their interface methods, and bindings as well as their payload content. For example, in the case of protocols for data discovery and access, the payload content contains data and metadata encoded using specific models.    

Mediation and adaptation modules are often used to map two different content models or two different interface methods or two different binding types. Commonly, a mediation module addresses the mediation of one feature characterizing two different protocols - e.g. the payload content model.  

Brokering services can be used to implement more advanced and general mediation functionalities. Brokering components address all the three protocol heterogeneities: methods, bindings, and payload content models. In addition, they implement mediation from many-to-many different protocols. 

Problem Statement

The scope of the WG covers data sources from research and scholarly communication. Within this domain obstacles for wider application of brokering techniques are:

1. Multiple service protocols for data discovery, access, and application or processing;

2. Multiple content standards for data and metadata, augmented by Community profiles and non-standard implementations;

3. Multiple vocabularies and ontologies, often describing the same concepts.

4. Multiple adaptation and mediation modules that are not guaranteed to be compatible.

Research projects and research data infrastructure initiatives often solve problems associated with this diversity as a matter of course, but the knowledge gained and components developed during such a process are not visible and useful to others. Furthermore, project life cycle limitations lead to lack of sustainability, loss of expertise, code, and infrastructure.

Address the Need

• Define a description schema for services, vocabularies, ontologies, content standards, and adaptation components based on current community research and operational developments that allow services and clients to be more effectively interfaced with mediation components; leverage prototype registries developed through RDA and other activities based on the above.

• Describe a collection of existing mediation and adaptation components that can interoperate through well-defined existing interface specifications and applicable standards.

• Create a mediation and adaptation components registry -the objective is to support implementation of a more general and agnostic mediation capability. This registry outcome may be integrated into DTR and other registry activities in RDA once its characteristics are defined and tested. 

• Define a test bed environment for testing interoperability of mediation alternatives leading to recommendations for application areas. The focus will be on metadata and data mediation across data systems that address different disciplines and scopes.