Interoperability Framework

Abstract

One of the biggest problems today for ships and shipbuilding programs is the proliferation of data and the rising number of disparate data systems that do not communicate and certainly do not interoperate. The traditional approaches to solving these problems have been costly point-to-point integrations or system-specific integrations. Today, there is another alternative. The Interoperability Framework (Intergraph Corporation, Huntsville, AL) is a flexible, extensible, nonintrusive, and open platform that provides the end user with integrated data from multiple interoperating systems. Although this approach does require the development of an adapter for each data source, the adapter, once written, allows the data to plug and play within the Interoperability Framework, thereby eliminating further interface development to or from that system. Hence, today one can choose between developing one adapter for the Interoperability Framework versus developing many interfaces to a multitude of other legacy and new systems. The latter is a costly and never-ending endeavor. Because the Interoperability Framework is based on XML and Web technology, it complements other emerging technologies. Further, the Interoperability Framework provides an application interface based on the Integrated Shipbuilding Environment (ISE) XML product data management (PDM) schema, potentially allowing direct use by other shipyard applications. While it is true that improved technology is producing newer, better software systems for data development, presentation, and management, the Interoperability Framework is the technology that will ensure interoperability of these systems.