1. SmartCode
Brad Argue
INLS
03/19/2001

2. Overview RDF Server Separation of content from format and presentation
Enables maintenance-cheap…
Aggregation
Syndication
Personalization
Distribution to multiple end-user devices

3. History / Development Leon Shklar
1995 InfoHarness Bell Communications Research
1996? GeoHarness Bell Communications Research
Metaphoria Pencode Web Works
2000 SmartCode Information Architects

4. Motivation Web publishing maintenance nightmares:
Same content, multiple formats
HTML, XML, PDF, Word, WML, etc.
Same content, multiple end-user devices
Browser, FTP client, PDA, cell phone, etc.
Aggregation of distributed content
URL, file, XML element, search engine, database query
Dynamic Personalization/Syndication

5. Analysis The SmartCode Framework
Implemented as hierarchy of Java classes
Works in conjunction with any web server that supports the Java Servlet API
Applications are created using a GUI
RDF (XML) metadata repository
Pages are built based on information contained in:
URL parameters
HTTP headers
state/session information
node path (URL)
metadata

6. Architecture – Process Model
Source:

7. Architecture RDF metadata repository
Hierarchical, logically related nodes
Leaf nodes point to single piece of data (a paragraph from a file, a web resource, a database query, etc.)
Higher-level nodes aggregate sub-nodes and act as virtual containers
Nodes contain two types of metadata
Access-descriptive
Content-descriptive

8. Architecture
Responders are chosen and build pages based on information contained in:
URL parameters
HTTP headers
State/session information
Node path (URL)
Metadata
Templates define page layout
HTML (“#MM…”)
XML (pre-designated elements are processed)

9. Architecture
Data integrity maintained automatically through continual comparison between metadata and original source
Greater efficiency/speed achieved through
“Repository generation” versus “request processing” phases
Multi-level caching system

10. System Requirements All major platforms, including
Linux
Solaris
Windows NT/2000
Can be used in conjunction with any web server that supports Java Servlet API, including
Apache
Microsoft IIS
Netscape Enterprise Server
JRun
Sun Java Web Server

11. Example Applications Scenario 1: Affiliate sites / syndication
Scenario 2: Portal site / aggregation

12. Summary Strengths Weaknesses RDF/metadata
Dynamic aggregation/ syndication
Maintenance-time savings
Java/XML…platform independence
Weaknesses
Cost: $140,000/server
Proprietary—lack of openness
Not widely used
Speed?
???

13. For More Information SmartCode Metaphoria InfoHarness
Metaphoria
InfoHarness