The document discusses web services and their use in various contexts. Web services allow automated resources on the internet to interact through standards-based APIs using XML, SOAP, WSDL and UDDI. They enable organizations to communicate data without needing to know each other's IT systems. The document also summarizes how web services are being used in projects to integrate online resources and functional components in domains like education.

1. UKOLN is supported by: Web Services and the JISC IE Andy Powell, UKOLN, University of Bath [email_address] JISC All Programmes Meeting, Brighton, 2004 www.bath.ac.uk a centre of expertise in digital information management www.ukoln.ac.uk

2. What are Web services? “ Automated resources accessed via the Internet . Web services are software-powered resources or functional components whose capabilities can be accessed at an internet URI. Standards-based web services use XML to interact with each other…” “ The term Web services describes a standardized way of integrating Web-based applications using the XML, SOAP, WSDL and UDDI open standards over an Internet protocol backbone. XML is used to tag the data, SOAP is used to transfer the data, WSDL is used for describing the services available and UDDI is used for listing what services are available. Used primarily as a means for businesses to communicate with each other and with clients, Web services allow organizations to communicate data without intimate knowledge of each other's IT systems …”

3. Agenda Introduction, RDN, ePrints UK, ELF Andy Powell The Northern Ireland Integrated Managed Learning Environment (NIIMLE) Greg McClure GeoXwalk Andrew Robson Discussion

4. Web services - summary machine (m2m) interfaces between functional components on the Web underpin many e-commerce activities a whole new set of acronyms – SOAP, WSDL, UDDI, WSRP based on HTTP and XML (i.e. mainstream Web pedigree) support both informational (e.g. search) and transactional (e.g. billing) types of service Google and Amazon “Web APIs”…

5. JISC Information Environment JISC-funded content providers institutional content providers external content providers brokers aggregators catalogues indexes institutional portals subject portals learning management systems media-specific portals end-user desktop/browser presentation fusion provision OpenURL resolvers shared infrastructure authentication/authorisation (Athens) JISC IE service registry institutional preferences services terminology services user preferences services resolvers metadata schema registries

6. JISC IE and Web Services JISC-funded content providers institutional content providers external content providers brokers aggregators catalogues indexes institutional portals subject portals learning management systems media-specific portals end-user desktop/browser presentation fusion provision OpenURL resolvers shared infrastructure authentication/authorisation (Athens) JISC IE service registry institutional preferences services terminology services user preferences services resolvers metadata schema registries SRW (SOAP) SOAP

7. JISC Information Environment JISC-funded content providers institutional content providers external content providers brokers aggregators catalogues indexes institutional portals subject portals learning management systems media-specific portals end-user desktop/browser presentation fusion provision OpenURL resolvers shared infrastructure authentication/authorisation (Athens) JISC IE service registry institutional preferences services terminology services user preferences services resolvers metadata schema registries

8. Google and Amazon APIs Google and Amazon both make some of their functionality available thru APIs API = Application Programming Interface Web services using SOAP to use them you must register agree to terms and conditions (personal use?) be prepared to program dynamic Web pages (using Java, ASP, Perl, etc.) http://www.google.com/apis/ http://www.amazon.com/apis/

9. What do the APIs offer? Google perform searches and get back results (XML) get cached-copy of page spell-check (“did you mean?”) Amazon title searches (all products, not just books) ISBN searches author searches transaction creation (shopping carts) transaction monitoring (note: book results include metadata with cover image)

10. Example 1: RDN/Google spell

11. Example 2: ResourceFinder end-user portal RDN ResourceFinder (Cheshire II) Z/SRW gateway Z39.50 OAI-PMH SRW (SOAP) RDN Hubs http://www.loc.gov/z3950/agency/zing/srw/implementors.html

12. Portal/metasearch service end-user library catalogue Google Amazon SOAP Z39.50 SOAP RDN SRW Fairly active interest in RDN SRW from PORTAL project (Hull) and from LIONSHARE (P2P) project in Canada

13. Example 3: ePrints UK from the project proposal… harvesting metadata from UK eprint archives using OAI-PMH enhancing metadata by passing metadata and full-text to 3 Web services… subject classification name authority citation analysis

14. What have we actually done harvest/search interface live some record enhancement being done defined SOAP interfaces for all 3 (in text) subject classification not done name authority done via OAI-PMH GetRecord requests (I.e. not by SOAP) not implemented as record enhancement citation analysis done and working using SOAP (WSDL)

15. E-Learning Framework (ELF) VLEs tend to be monolithic ELF is an attempt to unbundle functional components from within VLE deliver components as Web Services potentially moves eLearning part of the landscape firmly towards SOAP-based Service-oriented Architecture (SOA) approach work being taken forward by CETIS cf. VRE initiative (same thing for eResearch)

16. ELF layers Presentation layer (User Agent) Application services layer Common services layer Content Management Discover Discover Packaging Authentication Authorisation Course management Discover Collaboration Assessment …