Service-oriented Approach Supporting Dynamic Manufacturing Networks Operations

[EN] In the current economic crisis, also the manufacturing sector is asked to evolve towards more dynamic organizational structures within which, composing manufacturing processes, almost in real time, will become a need. This work aims at introducing flexibility and dynamisms to current manufacturing processes by separating its tasks from its final performers. With the proposed approach, the performers replacement can be done almost seamlessly. Additionally, the approach shows how dynamic negotiation and contracting, either for a whole process or a single activity, can be smoother if the task specification is based on a standard service interface defined at the ecosystem level. At the end, a prototype implementation is briefly described.Franco Pereyra, RD.; Ortiz Bas, Á.; Gómez-Gasquet, P. (2013). Service-oriented Approach Supporting Dynamic Manufacturing Networks Operations. IFIP Advances in Information and Communication Technology. 408:345-354. doi:10.1007/978-3-642-40543-3_37S345354408Osório, A.L., Afsarmanesh, H., Camarinha-Matos, L.M.: Open Services Ecosystem Supporting Collaborative Networks. In: Ortiz, Á., Franco, R.D., Gómez Gasquet, P. (eds.) BASYS 2010. IFIP AICT, vol. 322, pp. 80–91. Springer, Heidelberg (2010)Afsarmanesh, H., Camarinha-Matos, L., Msanjila, S.: On management of 2nd generation Virtual Organizations Breeding Environments. Annual Reviews in Control 33(2), 209–219 (2009)Afsarmanesh, H., Camarinha-Matos, L.: A Framework for Management of Virtual Organization Breeding Environments. In: Camarinha-Matos, L.M., Afsarmanesh, H., Ortiz, A. (eds.) Collaborative Networks and Their Breeding Environments. IFIP, vol. 186, pp. 35–48. Springer, Boston (2005)Franco, R.D., Ortiz Bas, A., Gómez-Gasquet, P., Rodriguez Rodriguez, R.: Open Ecosystems, Collaborative Networks and Service Entities Integrated Modeling Approach. In: Camarinha-Matos, L.M., Xu, L., Afsarmanesh, H. (eds.) Collaborative Networks in the Internet of Services. IFIP AICT, vol. 380, pp. 74–83. Springer, Heidelberg (2012)Minguez, J., Zor, S., Reimann, P.: Event-driven business process management in Engineer-to-Order supply chains. In: 2011 15th International Conference on Computer Supported Cooperative Work in Design (CSCWD), pp. 624–631 (2011)Wang, X., Cai, H., Xu, B.: An Extended Petri-Net Based Approach for Supply Chain Process Modeling and Web Service Transformation. In: International Conference on Management and Service Science, MASS 2009, pp. 1–5 (2009)Mowshowitz, A.: The switching principle in Virtual Organization. eJOV 1(1), 7–18 (1999)Franco, Ortiz Bas, Lario Esteban, F.C.: Modeling extended manufacturing processes with service-oriented entities. Service Business 3(1), 31–50 (2009)Vallejos, R.V., Lima, C., Varvakis, G.: A Framework To Create A Virtual Organization Breeding Environment In The Mould And Die Sector. In: Camarinha-Matos, L.M., Afsarmanesh, H., OIlus, M. (eds.) Network-Centric Collaboration and Supporting Frameworks. IFIP, vol. 224, pp. 599–608. Springer, Boston (2006)Bocchi, L., Fiadeiro, J., Rajper, N., Reiff-Marganiec, S.: Structure and Behaviour of Virtual Organisation Breeding Environments (January 2010)Romero, D., Molina, A.: VO breeding environments & virtual organizations integral business process management framework. Information Systems Frontiers 11(5), 569–597 (2009)Ulieru, M., Grobbelaar, S.: Engineering Industrial Ecosystems in a Networked World. In: 5th IEEE International Conference on Industrial Informatics, vol. 1, pp. 1–7 (2007)Rajini, S.N.S., Bhuvaneswari, D.T.: Service Based Architecture for Manufacturing Sector (2010)Lobov, A., Puttonen, J., Herrera, V.V., Andiappan, R., Lastra, J.L.M.: Service oriented architecture in developing of loosely-coupled manufacturing systems. In: 6th IEEE International Conference on Industrial Informatics, INDIN 2008, pp. 791–796 (2008)Jammes, F., Smit, H., Lastra, J.L.M., Delamer, I.M.: Orchestration of service-oriented manufacturing processes. In: 10th IEEE Conference on Emerging Technologies and Factory Automation, ETFA 2005, vol. 1, pp. 617–624 (2005)Zor, S., Görlach, K., Leymann, F.: Using BPMN for Modeling Manufacturing Processes. Neuer Wissenschaftlicher Verlag, Wien (2010

A collaborative platform for an ambient assisted living ecosystem

The population ageing is a global trend that affects almost all countries in the world. The global share of people with 60 years or over is expected to reach 21.6% by 2050. The social and economic impact of this tendency is huge, creating new challenges to healthcare and social support services. Furthermore, population ageing is linked to an increased number of people with physical limitations together with the isolation of persons. The Ambient Assisted Living paradigm seeks to answer to some of this challenges through the integration of innovative technologies, products, systems and services. Aiming the development of an ecosystem of products and services for Ambient Assisted Living, the AAL4ALL project was created joining more than thirty research, academic and industry partners. During the AAL4ALL project a 3-layered model of services ecosystem was adopted for the conceptual architecture. This work presents a collaborative platform as a contribution to the top layer of the conceptual architecture - AAL Ecosystem.O envelhecimento da população é uma tendência global que afeta quase todos os países no mundo. A nível mundial, a percentagem de pessoas com mais de 60 anos deve atingir os 21,6% até 2050. Os impactos sociais e económicos desta tendência são enormes, criando novos desafios aos serviços de saúde e de assistência social. Além disso, o envelhecimento populacional significa um aumento do número de pessoas com limitações físicas bem como o seu isolamento. O paradigma de Ambient Assisted Living procura responder a alguns destes desafios através da integração de tecnologias, produtos, sistemas e serviços inovadores. Com o objetivo de desenvolver um ecossistema de produtos e serviços de Ambient Assisted Living, o projeto AAL4ALL foi criado reunindo mais de trinta parceiros das áreas académica, de investigação e indústria. Durante o projeto AAL4ALL, um modelo de ecossistema de serviços de 3 camadas foi adotado para a arquitetura conceptual. Este trabalho apresenta uma plataforma colaborativa como contributo para a camada superior da arquitetura conceptual – Ecossistema AAL

Users' trust in information resources in the Web environment: a status report

This study has three aims; to provide an overview of the ways in which trust is either assessed or asserted in relation to the use and provision of resources in the Web environment for research and learning; to assess what solutions might be worth further investigation and whether establishing ways to assert trust in academic information resources could assist the development of information literacy; to help increase understanding of how perceptions of trust influence the behaviour of information users

Towards the development of the framework for inter sensing enterprise architecture

[EN] Inter-enterprise architecture (IEA) is a new concept that seeks to apply the tools and methodologies of enterprise architecture (EA) in a collaborative context, in order to model collaborative organizations in an inclusive manner. According to the main enterprise architectures proposed to this point, an EA should be conformed at least for a framework, a methodology and a modelling language. Sensing enterprise (SE) is an attribute of an enterprise or a network that allows it to react to business stimuli originating on the Internet. These fields have come into focus recently, and there is not evidence of the use of IEA for modelling a SE, while finding an interesting gap to work on. Thus, this paper proposes an initial framework for inter sensing enterprise architecture (FISEA), which seeks to classify, organize, store and communicate, at the conceptual level, all the elements for inter-sensing enterprise architectures and their relationships, ensuring their consistency and integrity. This FISEA provides a clear idea about the elements and views that create collaborative network and their inter-relationships, based on the support of Future Internet.This work was supported by the European Commission FP7 UNITE Project, through its Secondment Programme and the Universitat Politecnica de Valencia ADENPRO-PJP project (ref. SP20120703).Vargas, A.; Cuenca, L.; Boza, A.; Sacala, I.; Moisescu, M. (2016). Towards the development of the framework for inter sensing enterprise architecture. Journal of Intelligent Manufacturing. 27(1):55-72. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10845-014-0901-zS5572271Adaba, G., Rusu, L., & Mekawy, M. (2010). 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International Transactions in Operational Research, 19(5), 633–657.Boza, A., Cuenca, L., Poler, R., Michaelides, Z., & Systems, Enterprise Information. (2014). The interoperability force in the ERP field. Enterprise Information Systems,. doi: 10.1080/17517575.2013.866697Camarinha-Matos, L., & Afsarmanesh, H. (2005). Collaborative networks: A new scientific discipline. Journal of Intelligent Manufacturing, 16(4–5), 439–452.Camarinha-Matos, L., & Afsarmanesh, H. (2008). Collaborative networks: Reference modeling. New York: Springer.Camarinha-Matos, L., Afsarmanesh, H., & Ollus, M. (2008). ECOLEAD and CNO base concepts. In L. M. Camarinha-Matos, H. Afsarmanesh, & M. Ollus (Eds.), Methods and tools for collaborative networked organizations (pp. 35–68). New York: Springer.Chalmeta, R., & Grangel, R. (2003). ARDIN extension for virtual enterprise integration. The Journal of Systems and Software, 67(3), 141–152.Chen, D., Vallespir, B., & Doumeingts, G. (1997). GRAI integrated methodology and its mapping onto generic enterprise reference architecture and methodology. Computers in Industry, 33(2), 387–394.Choi, Y., Kang, D., Chae, H., & Kim, K. (2008). An enterprise architecture framework for collaboration of virtual enterprise chains. The International Journal of Advanced Manufacturing Technology, 35(11–12), 1065–1078.CIMOSA Asociation. (1996). CIMOSA Primer on key concepts, purpose and business value.Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals CSCMP. (2010). CSCMP. Glosary of terms. from http://cscmp.org/resources-research/glossary-terms . Accessed 9 February 2013Coutinho, C., Cretan, A., Ferreira, C., Ghodous, P., & Jardim-Goncalves, R. (2014). Service-based negotiation for advanced collaboration in enterprise networks. Journal of Intelligent Manufacturing,. doi: 10.1007/s10845-013-0857-4Cuenca, L. (2009). Marco arquitectónico para la propuesta IE-GIP. Extensión de la arquitectura CIMOSA. Aplicación a una empresa del sector cerámico. Tesis Doctoral Universidad Politecnica de Valencia.Cuenca, L., Boza, A., & Ortiz, A. (2011). An enterprise engineering approach for the alignment of business and information technology strategy. International Journal of Computer Integrated Manufacturing, 24(11), 974–992.Cuenca, L., Ortiz, A., & Boza, A. (2005). Arquitectura de Empresa. Visión General. Gijón: IX Congreso de Ingeniería de Organización.Dong, X., Liu, Q., & Yin, D. (2008). Business performance, business strategy, and information system strategic alignment: An empirical study on Chinese firms. Tsinghua Science and Technology, 13(3), 348–354.Ermilova, E., & Afsarmanesh, H. (2007). Modeling and management of profiles and competencies in VBEs. Journal of Intelligent Manufacturing, 18(5), 561–586.Estimali, H., Gardesh, H., & Sikari, S. (2010). Validating ITIL maturity to strategic business-IT alignment. In 2nd International conference on computer technology and development (ICCTD 2010).European Commission European Society and Media. (2007). Dygital Business Ecosystems. In F. Nachira, P. Dini, A. Nicolai, M. Le Louarn, & L. Rivera (Eds.). http://www.digital-ecosystems.org/book/ . Luxembourg: Office for Official Publications of the European Communities. Accessed 15 October 2012Executive Branch of the U.S. Federal Government. (2012). A Common Approach to Federal Enterprise Architecture. The White House. http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/omb/assets/egov_docs/common_approach_to_federal_ea.pdf . Accessed 13 August 2013Franco, R., Gomez, P., Ortiz, A., & Navarro, R. (2012). Integrated approach for interoperability in collaborative networs and service-based ecosystems. In R. Poler, G. Doumeingts, B. Katzy, & R. Chalmeta (Eds.), Enterpise interoperability V (pp. 329–339). London: Springer.Force, I. F. I. P.-I. F. A. C. Task. (1998). GERAM: Generalised enterprise reference architecture and methodology. International Federation for Information Processing, 1(2), 30.Future Internet Enterprise Systems (FInES) Cluster. (2012). FInES Research Roadmap 2025. From http://cordis.europa.eu/fp7/ict/enet/documents/fines-research-roadmap-v30_en.pdf . Accessed 13 October 2013Henderson, J., & Venkatraman, N. (1993). Strategic alignment: Leveraging information technology for transforming organizations. IBM Systems Journal, 32(1), 472–484.Hu, Q., & Huang, D. (2006). Using the balanced scorecard to achieve sustained IT-business alignment: A case study. Communications of the Association for Information Systems, 17, 181–204.ISO 15704. (2000). Industrial automation systems–Requirements for enterprise-reference architectures and methodologies.ISO/CEN 19439. (2006). Enterprise integration–Framework for enterprise modelling.Kilger, C., Reuter, B., & Stadtler, H. (2008). Collaborative planning. In H. Stadtler & C. Kilger (Eds.), Supply chain management and advanced planning-concepts, models software and case studies (pp. 263–284). Berlin, Heidelberg: Springer.Kosanke, K., Vernadat, F., & Zelm, M. (1999). CIMOSA: Enterprise engineering and integration. Computers in Industry, 40(2), 83– 97.Lankhorst, M. (2009). Enterprise architecture at work: Modelling, communication and analysis. New York: Springer.Luftman, J. (2004). Assessing business-IT alignment maturity. Communications of the Association for Information Systems, 4, 99.Maes, R. (1999). Reconsidering information management through a generic framework. Amsterdam: Universiteit van Amsterdam, Department of Accountancy & Information Management.Mehandjiev, N., & Grefen, P. (2010). Dynamic business process formation for instant virtual enterprises. London.Mekawy, M., Rusu, L., & Ahmed, N. (2009). Business and IT alignment: An evaluation of strategic alignment models. In best practices for the knowledge society. Knowledge, Learning, Development and Technology for All, 49, 447–455.Moisescu, M., Sacala, I., Stanescu, A., & Serbanescu, C. (2012). Towards integration of knowledge extraction form process interoperability in future internet enterprise systems. Information Control Problems in Manufacturing, 14(1), 1458–1463.Ortiz, A. (1998). Propuesta para el Desarrollo de Programas de Integración Empresarial en Empresas Industriales. Aplicación a una Empresa del Sector Cerámico: Tesis Doctoral Universidad Politécnica de Valencia.Palmer, C., Harding, J., Swarnkar, R., Das, B., & Young, R. (2013). Generating rules from data mining for collaboration moderator services. Journal of Intelligent Manufacturing, 24, 313–330.Pijpers, V., Gordijn, J., & Akkermans, H. (2009). Aligning information system design and business strategy–A starting internet company. In the practice of enterprise modeling. Lecture Notes in Business Information Processing, 15, 47–61.Plaza, J., Burgos, J., & Carmona, E. (2010). Measuring stakeholder integration: Knowledge, interaction and adaptational behavior dimensions. Journal of Business Ethics, 93, 419–442.Romero, D., Galeano, N., & Molina, A. (2010). Virtual organisation breeding environments value system and its elements. Journal of Intelligent Manufacturing, 21(3), 267–286.Sacala, I., Moisescu, M., & Repta, D. (2013). Towards the development of the future internet based enterprise in the context of cyber-physical systems. In 2013 19th International conference on control systems and computer science (CSCS), (pp. 405–412).Santana, R., Daneva, M., van Eck, P., & Wieringa, R. (2008). Towards a business-IT aligned maturity model for collaborative networked organizations. In 12th International conference on advanced information systems engineering.Schekkerman, J. (2004). Enterprise architecture validation. Achieving business-aligned and validated entreprise architectures. Institute For Enterprise Architecture Developments (IFEAD). http://enterprise-architecture.info/Images/Extended%20Enterprise/Extended%20Enterprise%20Architecture2.htm . Accessed 10 October 2011Schekkerman, J. (2006). Extended enterprise architecture framework essentials guide. Retrieved 2012 from Institute For Enterprise Architecture Developments (IFEAD). http://enterprise-architecture.info/Images/E2AF/Extended%20Enterprise%20Architecture%20Framework%20Essentials%20Guide%20v1.5.pdf . Accessed 23 September 2012Stadtler, H. (2009). A framework for collaborative planning and state-of-the-art. OR Spectrum, 31, 5–30.Stelzer, D. (2010). Enterprise architecture principles: Literature review and research directions. Service-Oriented Computing. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, pp. 12–21.Swarnkar, R., Choudhary, A., Harding, J., Das, B., & Young, R. (2012). A framework for collaboration moderator services to support knowledge based collaboration. Journal of Intelligent Manufacturing, 23, 2003–2023.The, OPEN GROUP. (2011). TOGAF. http://www.opengroup.org/togaf/ . Accessed 18 November 2011U.S. Department of the Treasury. (2000). Treasury enterprise architecture framework. http://www.treasury.gov/Pages/default.aspx . Accessed 23 November 2011United States Department of Defense. (2010). Department of defense architecture framework. http://dodcio.defense.gov/dodaf20/dodaf20_capability.aspx . Accessed 28 November 2011Vargas, A., Boza, A., & Cuenca, L. (2011). Towards interoperability through Inter-enterprise collaboration architectures. In R. Meersman, T. Dillon, & P. Herrero (Eds.), On the move to meaningful internet systems: OTM 2011 workshops. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, Vol. 7046, pp. 102–111.Vargas, A., Boza, A., Cuenca, L., & Sacala, I. (2013a). Inter-enterprise architecture and internet of the future. Technological Innovation for the Internet of Things, 394, 25–32.Vargas, A., Boza, A., Cuenca, A., & Ortiz, A. (2013b). Towards a framework for inter-enterprise architecture to boost collaborative networks. In On the move to meaningful internet systems: OTM 2013 workshops. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, 8186, 179–188.Vargas, A., Boza, A., Cuenca, L., & Ortiz, A. (2014). The importance of strategic alignment in enterprise collaboration. In J. C. Prado-Prado & J. García-Arca (Eds.), Annals of industrial engineering 2012 (pp. 71–78). London: Springer.Vernadat, F. (2003). Enterprise modelling and integration: From fact modelling to enterprise interoperability. Enterprise inter- and intra-organizational integration: Building international consensus. Series: IFIP Advances in Information and Communication Technology, 108.Vesterager, J., Tølle, M., & Bernus, P. (2002). VERA: Virtual enterprise reference. GLOBEMEN final plenary: In GMNBook.Wang, X., Zhou, X., & Jiang, L. (2008). A method of business and IT alignment based on enterprise architecture. 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The role of digital technologies in the innovation of collaborative networks: The case of the ornamental stones in Portugal

This exploratory research outlines an innovative business model for the ornamental stones, in Portugal, targeting World Class Manufacturing. Research questions arise from an inductive approach empirically based on a participant-observer that participated in JETSTONE and INOVSTONE, two important Mobilising Projects for the cluster. A collaborative network pursuing a Service Systems view, leveraged by digital technologies was proposed based on a 3-stage development facilitated by the ARCON framework (ECOLEAD project), as follows: development of a general VBE/VO model completed by knowledge coming from BIM, Industry 4.0, IoT and Service Science backgrounds, in order to build up a specific model to the ornamental stones Industry. Finally, the specific model should be verified by case studies as demonstrating instances. While the generic VBE/VO might be customized to other domains, the specific model generates a representation of the Industry and the case studies serve as instances to verify it.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

A simulation Approach to Assess Partners Selected for a Collaborative Network

[EN] Manufacturing enterprises are increasingly more aware of the importance of establishing collaborative relationships with their network partners, due to the advantages associated to collaboration. Nevertheless, the participation in a collaborative network (CN) comes with associated challenges, namely the need to reduce the potential for conflicts among partners. A CN consists of heterogeneous partners, each one defining its own objectives and activating its own strategies. In this context, the ability to quickly identify partners with aligned strategies is crucial for smooth operation of the CN. The main aim of this paper is to address the partners' selection problem in the context of Virtual organizations Breeding Environments (VBE) that facilitate and enable the creation of Virtual Organisations (VO), as one type of CN. In a first stage, the sets of enterprises, characterised by having the required competencies to create the VO, are identified among different potential candidates within the VBE. In a second stage, the strategies alignment approach, based on the system dynamics simulation method, is used for the partners' selection process, identifying the best set of enterprises. In this paper, the final stage of partners' selection process is addressed by obtaining the degree of alignment of the business strategies formulated by each set of enterprises. In the light of this, a system dynamics-simulation model, in AnyLogic, is presented to obtain the set of enterprises that have higher levels of alignment in its strategies. The proposed system dynamics-simulation model is applied to a case in the building industry, to deal with the partners' selection problem in a VBE with the aim of forming a stable and sustainable VO.This work has been funded in part by Programa Val i+d para investigadores en formación (ACIF 2012) and by the Uninova–Center of Technology and Systems and the Portuguese FCT-PEST program UID/EEA/00066/2013.Andres, B.; Poler, R.; Camarinha-Matos, L.; Afsarmanesh, H. (2017). A simulation Approach to Assess Partners Selected for a Collaborative Network. International Journal of Simulation Modelling. 16(3):399-411. https://doi.org/10.2507/IJSIMM16(3)3.382S39941116

Collaborative Networks for Biodiversity Domain Organizations

European scientific research and development organizations, operating in the domains of biology, ecology, and biodiversity, strongly need to cooperate/collaborate with other centers. Unavailability of interoperation infrastructure as well as the needed collaboration environment among research organizations restricts their exchange of research results and efficient launching of co-working/co-development R&D initiatives. This paper proposes the pre-establishment of a long term strategic Collaborative Network called BTCN (Breeding environment for Temporary Collaborative Networks) for these organizations based on a survey of this environment. BTCN supports in a cost/time effective manner the formation and creation of potential future collaboration sub-networks addressing different R&D opportunities

Aquaculture Asia, Vol. 7, No. 3, pp.1-60, July - September 2002

CONTENTS: Sustainable Aquaculture - Peter Edwards writes on rural aquaculture: Aquaculture for Poverty Alleviation and Food Security - Part II. Shrimp pond waste management by U Win Latt. The role of rural extension in the sustainable development of Chinese aquaculture by Min Kuanhong. Farmers as Scientists: Diversity enhances profitability and sustainability by M.C. Nandeesha. Properties of Liming Materials by Claude E. Boyd, Mali Boonyaratpalin & Taworn Thunjai. Seed Production of Mud Crab Scylla spp. by Emilia T. Quinitio, Fe Delores Parado-Estepa and Eduard Rodriguez Genes and Fish: The dilemmas of strain selection by Graham Mair. Seed Production of the Crucifix Crab Charybdis feriatus by Fe Delores Parado-Estepa, Eduard Rodriguez and Emilia T. Quinitio. Aquaculture Fundamentals: A general approach to disease treatment & control by Simon Wilkinson. Marine Finfish Aquaculture Network meets in Vietnam. New APEC Project: Improving Coastal Livelihoods Through Sustainable Aquaculture Practices. Breeding and Seed Production of the Mangrove Red Snapper by Arnil C. Emata. APEC, FAO, NACA, and OIE enhance Capacity on Risk Analysis (IRA)in Aquatic Animal Movement in Asia-Pacific region by Melba Reantaso. Advice on Aquatic Animal Health: Questions & answers on drugs and chemicals by Pornlerd Chanratchakool. Responsible use of antibiotics in shrimp farming by Sara Graslund, Karin Karlsson and Janenuj Wongtavatchai. Molecular methods for rapid and specific detection of pathogens in seafood by Iddya Karunasagar, Indrani Karunasagar and H. Samath Kumar. Practical approaches to health management for cage cultured marine fishes by Leong Tak Seng

An environment to support negotiation and contracting in collaborative networks

During the last years, manufacturing and service industries faced a global change in the production paradigm. They have to continuously adapt their operating principles in reaction to new business or collaboration opportunities, where a natural reaction is a shift to a new business paradigm with the creation of strategic alliances for product or services development, but also for innovative and emergent business services design. On one hand, the process of creating such alliances can be rather simple if organizations share the same geographical and cultural context. But on the other hand, considering different conditions, there might be a low success rate in the creation of successful consortia. One known reason for such low rate are the delays resulting from negotiations in the establishment of collaboration commitments, represented by contracts or agreements, which are crucial in the creation of such alliances. The collaborative networks discipline covers the study of networks of organizations specially when supported by computer networks. This thesis contributes with research in this field describing the creation process of virtual organizations, and proposing a negotiation support environment to help participants in the negotiation of the consortia creation process and in the co-design of new business services. A negotiation support environment is therefore proposed and described with its main requirements, adopted negotiation protocol, conceptual architecture, models, and software environment. To demonstrate the feasibility of the implementation of the proposed systems, a proof-ofconcept software prototype was implemented and tested using some specific scenarios. This thesis work has been validated adopting a methodology that includes: (i) validation in the research community; (ii) validation in a solar industry network; and (iii) validation by comparison analysis