The Flexible ICT Architecture for Virtual Enterprises

Virtual Enterprises, in our view, are conglomerates of regular enterprises that collaborate on an ad hoc basis to carry out an inter-organisational business process. The Virtual Enterprise has a dynamic structure that depends on the particular process that needs to be carried out. Enterprises can join or leave the Virtual Enterprise (VE) at short notice, depending on capacity and opportunity. In recent papers we studied the use of a mobile agent framework to support the coordination of the primary process in a Virtual Enterprise. We argued that the installation of standard software modules, called service bridges or docks, at the participant enterprises provides a suitable infrastructure for the use of mobile agents for this purpose. The deployment of mobile software agents using such modules has been studied in applications such as networked electronic trading and mediation of negotiations. The emphasis in these applications lies on demonstrating the potential of mobile agents for the support of complex decision problems. In this paper we study the flexibility requirements an agile enterprise such as the VE imposes on its ICT support. We argue that a mobile agentbased ICT architecture will provide the required ICT support. We will discuss a number of change cases and examine their impact on the requirements on the agent - agent and on the agent - system interaction arising from the need for flexibility. Keywords Virtual Enterprise, Architecture, Flexibility, Mobile Agents

ONTOLOGICAL STRATIFICATION IN AN ECOLOGY OF INFOHABITANTS

Abstract This paper reports progress from the EEII research project where ontological stratification is applied within the study of openness. We explain a stratification approach to reduce the overall complexity of conceptual models, and to enhance their modularity. A distinction is made between ontological and epistemological stratification. The application of the stratification approach to agent system design is explained and illustrated. A preliminary characterization of the relevant strata is given. The wider relevance of this result for information infrastructure design is addressed: we conjecture that ontological stratification will be key to the model management and semantic interoperability in a ubiquitous and model driven information infrastructure [1].

Next Generation Enterprises: Virtual Organizations and Mobile/Pervasive Technologies

Abstract The manufacturing process in a Virtual Enterprise (VE) is a more complex task than in the single integrated enterprise case. We are proposing an architectural systematisation of the manufacturing and control structures in a VE, in the context of business processes and highlevel planning. For the Information Technology (IT) integration of the VE, we propose the mobile agent paradigm, defining the concept of a Mobile Agent Web (MA-web). The role of the agents in this environment is to track and monitor the manufacturing processes and to mediate negotiations between the parties of the VE when it is necessary. We are making some assumptions about the new behaviour and code of conduct in the envisaged MA-web, such as the willingness to share data and knowledge, and the inclination to cooperative interaction, both induced by the usage of collaborative agents. We are presenting some of the basic principles of architecturing such systems and show a way of how mobile agents can be used in practice

From Product Data to Product Data and Knowledge Management- Requirements and Research Perspective

As a subgroup within the Esprit Working Group 21108, Integration in Manufacturing and Beyond (IiMB), the authors are concerned with the management of product related data and knowledge in the extended enterprise considering the paradigm of the learning organisation. The focus of the work is on concepts, approaches and methods for capture, maintenance, management and use of data and knowledge about products covering the whole life cycle from idea generation, via product and process design to operation and recycling of a product. This working paper reports on our current understanding of the problems and requirements of product data and knowledge management in the extended enterprise

Enterprise competence organization schema: publishing the published competences

This article was published in the journal Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part B: Journal of Engineering Manufacture [Sage © IMechE]. The definitive version is available at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/09544054JEM2097Competence is a standardized way to define the profile of an enterprise. Understanding and auditing competences acquired, required, and desired by a company and further representing them in a structured manner is a beneficial step for enhancing the company's performance. Ontology is emerging as an effective tool to structure competences for comprehensive and transportable machine understanding. In the present paper, ECOS (Enterprise Competence Organization Schema) is presented as a mechanism to capture enterprise competence in a manner understandable by computers. The objective behind this concept is to create a web of machine-readable pages describing basic information and competences of enterprises with sets of interconnected data and semantic models. The ECOS ontology captures enterprise competences using a consistent and comprehensive list of concepts and vocabulary and converts them into a semantic web resource using the Web Ontology Language (OWL). The novel concept of an ECOS-card and ECOS-form is proposed and used for developing and publishing enterprise competences. Examples from real-life enterprise applications of ECOS are also shown in the paper