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| Welcome | |||
| About us | |||
| Research | |||
| Technology transfer & services | |||
| Mobile & distributed systems | |||
| Groupware systems | |||
| Geographic information systems | |||
| Memories of LIFIA 2000-2007 | |||
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| Internet-based information systems have become popular in the last few years as an efficient way to obtain remote and friendly access to distributed information sources. These systems combine mature, well-known software technologies: server-based databases and applications, and client-based GUIs. In many cases they involve specific devices (such as mobile artifacts). The "novelty" in these applications is the capability to add navigation and roaming access to the transactional behavior, typical of business applications. Navigation and the possibility of access at any time anywhere are the main attractions of software on the Internet. The success of e-commerce sites such as Amazon.com is not due to the fact that anybody can buy or sell. The main reason for its is easy to find what we want. We can even access the site from a small cell phone. Besides, the site provides customized information such as advice and suggestions. Apart from the need to carefully design and implement the necessary databases and application programs, these kinds of applications require certain specific design activities, such as navigation and interface design. Fortunately, in the past the hypermedia community has studied many of the problems related to this specific type of applications (though, obviously, many new problems appeared with the Internet, for example those related to mobility and "pervasiveness"). |
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| LIFIA's experience and background | ||
| • The first commercial hypertext application was installed in 1990: information base with data on Argentine Customs regulations. • Virtual multimedia museum for the La Plata Museum of Natural History (1992) • A set of hypermedia education applications (1995), distance learning tools (1997-1998) and an on-line Web-based magazine (1999) for the ministry of education and distance learning applications (INAP, 1999-2000). • Distributed UML editor implemented in Java. Similar tool for COAST (object-oriented framework for collaborative applications developed at the GMD-IPSI, German computer science agency) • A set of tools and applications for the AFIP (national tax collection agency) used for staff training in tax regulations • Complex Web application which supports B2B e-commerce for IDEB. Supports interaction among companies offering and buying products in virtual sessions, allowing them to find "partners", both suppliers and buyers. Combines the use of relational storage with a dynamic interface (1998-1999) • Complex e-commerce applications (Segurlink, 2000) • Consumer to Consumer Application (50%.com, 2000) • Health services company portal (Medifé, 2000) • Important collaborative computating project in cooperation with GMD-IPSI (Germany, in progress) • Mobile applications in Palm platform for Nobleza Piccardo |
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| LIFIA's capabilities in the Internet software development area | ||
| At LIFIA we have been developing hypermedia methods and applications for more than ten years. We are pioneers in this area in Argentina (our first hypertext commercial system was delivered in 1989) and the OOHDM (Object-Oriented Hypermedia Design Method) is one of the most mature, recognized by the international community. OOHDM is a method for designing hypermedia applications, particularly software in the Internet. Developed jointly by researchers at LIFIA with PUC-Rio, Brazil. It is highly regarded and has been used to implement many commercial applications in the Internet by the technical community. Navigational patterns and interfaces: It is undoubtedly attractive to apply the idea of patterns to the development of software on the Internet and to hypermedia applications in general. However, it remained almost unexplored until 1997. We introduced the concept in 1995 and generalized it in 1997. Since then, LIFIA has carried out important work related to the discovery and use of recurrent design structures in the Internet (particularly in e-commerce applications). All patterns were presented and evaluated at PLoP (Pattern Languages of Programs) and EuroPLoP, the "official" conferences on patterns, and Addison Wesley published many of them in its edition of "Pattern Languages of Program Design". A slightly different set of models, somehow related to the previous ones, was developed in the areas of collaborative hypermedia and virtual environments (both in the context of Internet applications). • Quality Control: a Quality Control Methodology (WebQEM) was developed in association with researchers from the University of La Pampa, Argentina. |
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| Human resources: | ||
| LIFIA's professionals 'know-how' covers areas such as: • Architectural issues (Application and Web servers, J2EE, Web Services, etc.) • Quality Control • Design issues (navigation, database and interface design) • Database tools • Mark-up and scripting languages (HTML, XML, JavaScript, etc.) • Internet programming languages and environments (Java, .Net, etc.) • Web semantics issues (metadata, RDF, etc.) • Middleware tools (Spring) |
