PSE and the Web -- Base Concepts
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PSE and the Web -- Evolution Path
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Web Phase Transition/Revolution '95/'96
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Web Phase Transition/Revolution '95/'96 (cont)
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Web Expansion Phase -- '96 and Beyond
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Web Tech Development: Commerce vs Academia
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NPAC Strategy: Technology and Application Niches
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Web Technologies at NPAC: Terms and Concepts
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Web Technologies at NPAC: Current Status
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Some Web Technologies at NPAC: WebAMR Example
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We discuss here the multi-prong evolution path of the Web computing, starting form the "Web Revolution '95/'96' and extrapolating from the current 'Web Expansion Phase' towards the WebWindows based WebTop Systems to come
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We review both the base Web Technologies under development (commercially and in academia) and selected pilot projects / prototype applications at NPAC
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Base NPAC Technologies include: WebTools, WebVM, WebWork, WebFlow, Bridge Topologies, WebWindows, WebTop Systems
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Prototype NPAC Applications include: Telemedicine, Command and Control, and Large Scale Computation Problems such as RSA Factoring-by-Web, Adaptive Mesh Refinement and Visible->Virtual Human
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Some factors that contributed to this phase transition are:
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Netscape2 plug-in support that attracted many software vendors to the Netscape platform
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Successful Java marketing by Sun
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Netscape's agile response to and support for Java, augmented by JavaScript/LifeWire add-on
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Success of VRML/VAG forum that caused all major computer vendors to compete in the open VRML 2.0 design proposal contest
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Aggressive use of the Web itself (and all of us...) by Netscape/Sun for marketing, distribution, debugging and customer feedback support of the Web software products via the sequence of ever changing/never really working alpha/beta releases
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Why do we put up with so many bugs!
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As of today (May '96), we are in the middle of the "expansion phase", triggered by the '95/'96 "revolution"
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Netscape3 is out with support for Live3D (inlined VRML) and CoolTalk (Internet Phone). LiveMedia (inlined video based on OpenDVE/RTP) is coming soon. FastTrack Web servers offer now page authoring, site management, mailing services, scripted database interfaces and so on. A mortal Netscape-Microsoft war is imminent.
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Meanwhile, JavaSoft expands with a different strategy , by collaborating with Microsoft, seeking new niches such as support for transparent database backends (JDBC), distributed computing (DMI), CASE tools (JDE) and open browser technology (beta HotJava), family of extension API's -- Media, Commerce, Security, Collaboration .
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Meanwhile, Sun attempts at JavaVM based JavaOS and GNU is addressing open multiplatform JavaVM implementation.
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Meanwhile, open Web community (with the major concentration in the VRML forum) starts addressing "open JavaScript" that would challenge JavaScript/LiveWire and eventually Java.
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At NPAC, we follow a two-prong strategy, including component technology prototyping and integration technology development. --
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Some component technology prototype projects are short lived -- their goal is to provide us with 'look ahead' and placeholders for the industry modules to come
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For example, NPAC '95 prototypes such as WebTools, WebMail or WebDBMS are now being (partially) offered by Netscape in their '96 browsers and servers.
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Meanwhile, however, we were able to make the next step in the conceptual design and start addressing the larger scope Web software system integration issues in terms of our '95 component technology prototypes.
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We call them WebTop Systems or distributed applications based on leading edge Web technologies and the emergent WebWindows operating system.
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WebTools -- PDA-like Web based environment using CGI (to be improved)-extended personal Web servers to handle file management, e-mail etc.
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WebWisdom -- JavaScript prototype for managing information hierarchies in the electronic presentation space for Virtual University
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WebWork -- a mesh of WebTools-like servers, coordinated to perform a common (potentially world-wide) distributed computational task
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WebVM -- an abstract VM implemented in terms of / on top of computationally extended evolving Web technologies
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WebFlow -- a dataflow paradigm for visual programming on top of WebVM in terms of interactive browser tools (Java based visual flow editor)
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WebHPL -- a high level object-oriented interpreted language on top of WebVM to support Web based HPCC
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WebSpace -- pervasive collaboration support, based on Web/Oracle and Java collaboratory servers
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WebWindows -- a Web(VM) based operating/windowing environment under collaborative development by the Web community
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WebTop Systems -- an ensemble of toolkits and integration framework for WebWindows application development
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WebTools -- CGI/Perl prototype in '95, now being augmented by / integrated with Java, JavaScript and Web/Oracle.
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WebWisdom -- Prototype done -- Productize next!
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WebWork -- proof-of-the-concept application to factor RSA130 by a tree of Web servers (completed Apr'96)
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WebVM -- minimal CGI prototype operational; work in progress on Java server support.
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WebFlow -- simple Java applet for visual Web programming operational. Near term application testbeds: AMR, 3D Visible Human.
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WebHPL -- WebHPF operational. Simple interpreted "little language" layer planned for WebAMR.
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WebWindows -- exploring all three current platform candidates: UNIX, WindowsNT, JavaOS (HotJava, JDE, DMI, JDE).
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WebTop Systems -- exploring Bridge topology as a reusable integration framework.
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We illustrate here how the individual component technologies cooperate in a complete application, WebAMR (Adaptive Mesh Refinement)
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A mesh of computationally extended Web servers, connected via HTTP based message passing, acts as WebVM that runs PDE solver modules for individual grids
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In a simple static AMR topology (WebWork model), a tree of refined meshes is constructed by the user via the AVS like visual programming tools (WebFlow)
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Dynamic AMR trees require interpreted programming support -- a pilot "little language" design towards WebHPL
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WebAMR applications can be configured and run on heterogeneous clusters, including any WebWindows compliant platform
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Example of WebTop System in this domain in a set of WebVM/WebFlow modules, packaged and customized as a PDE Toolkit for a given Grand Challenge community.
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CareWeb for Telemedicine -- local community network to support electronic student health record database and collaborative diagnosis by nurses, nurse practitioners and pediatricians.
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Command and Control -- innovative use of Web technologies for integrating a suite of large scale applications (weather, electromagnetic scattering, telemedicine, GIS) contributing to a military Command and Control.
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Distance Education and Science Collaboratory -- content (Virtual University, Living Schoolbook) and technology (WebFoil, WebSpace/LabSpace) development for delivering education over the Internet and providing collaboratory links between students and mentors.
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Large Scale Numerical Computing -- A set of pilot projects that explore Web based HPCC starting from simple computational topologies. Current prototypes include: RSA Factoring-by-Web, Adaptive Mesh Refinement for PDEs, 3D Visible Human.
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Most of the real world WebTop Systems will involve multi-user collaboratory modules. Even for scientific computing, complex toolkits such as WebAMR will be most conveniently supported by interactive consultation between developers and users.
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Collaboratory multi-user components will be further enhanced in enterprise, commerce and community systems.
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This is illustrated in our recent telemedicine prototype for nursing triage. Here we start from the collaboratory component involving nurses, nurse practioners and pediatricians and add HPCC components such as medical imaging and agent based diagnosis.
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We view the Bridge topology (Warner & Balch '95), underlying such telemedicine systems, as a promising generic framework, applicable also for other problem domains.
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A generic bridge includes "points of need", "points of expertise" and intelligent middleware that manages information resources and provides connectivity between customers and optimal services.
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Bridge point of expertise consistent with Anchor desk in JWID military exercises
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We present here examples of the bridge topology, instantiated in various application domains:
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Domain Points of Need Points of Expertise Typical Services
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TeleMedicine Nurses, Nurse Practioners Diagnosis
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Command Troops Commanders Decision
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and Control Making
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Distance Learners Teachers Mentoring
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Education Students Consultants
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Commerce Consumers Vendors Product Support
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Science Schools Scientists Popular Science
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Collaboratory Small Businesses Technology Transfer
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Community collaboration including NPAC, SU College of Nursing, Syracuse City School District and SUNY Health Science Center (Univ. Hospital).
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Initial goal is to provide electronic student health record database, healthcare education and Web based interactive consultation between nurses, nurse practitioners and pediatricians.
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Trial demo implementation completed May'96. Trial deployment in select New York and North Carolina schools expected in fall '96.
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CareWeb core module is given by Oracle database at NPAC with WOW/OWA/Internet gateway, remotely accessed by CareWeb customers.
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The system integrates and offers customized access to ~30 databases, managing information about users, health education resources, and patient health records.
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Typical CareWeb databases include: Customers, Connections, Transactions, Schools, Teachers, Nurses, Nurse Practitioners, Doctors, and Record Components such as Immunizations, Screening Tests, Health Histories, Progress Notes, Visit Logs, Assessment Forms etc.
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CareWeb Information Pages offer customized educational support for healthcare personnel as well as students and parents, as well as decision tree support to be used in the next project stage for the agent-based automated diagnosis generation and verification.
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Interactive consulting is based on shared record pages, optionally synchronized via phone chat or/and WebCast support, and VIC/VAT video support for 'talking heads' and/or video feeds from (Welch Allyn) multi-purpose fiberscopes for ear, nose and throat inspection.
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The system offers multi-level security, including Internet guests (with anonymous limited access), CareWeb friends (with registered restricted access) and CareWeb customers (nurses, nurse practitioners, doctors, parents) with secure password based access, individual home pages and customized information/operational spaces.
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RSA Factoring-by-Web -- collaboration with Arjen Lenstra and Boston/CSC. New NFS factoring algorithm successfully applied to RSA130 factoring on a tree of Web+CGI servers (FAFNER by Jim Cowie/CSC). SC'95 Teraflop Challenge Award. Next Challenge -- RSA155.
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WebHPF -- Web front-end to HPF compiler and PVM-based distributed runtime. Supports CASE tools for program development, process management and performance monitoring.
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Adaptive Mesh Refinement -- planned WebVM/WebFlow application to support Grand Challenge PDE solvers. Includes static AMR trees specified by visual authoring and dynamic trees, implemented via interactive scripting modules.
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Visible->Virtual Human -- 3D reconstruction of the human body, based on the image database from the National Library of Medicine. Currently implemented is color segmentation stage (embarrassingly parallel), to be followed by WebVM/WebFlow based algorithms with non-trivial internode communication (surface reconstruction, object labelling and grouping).
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New powerful Web'96 technologies from Netscape, JavaSoft, Oracle, NeXT etc. will result in a new generation of interactive services
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A natural next step is to start Chaining (Integrating) such services to a distributed PSE by providing a server to server communication and dataflow support
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However Web'96 becomes also increasingly complex with its competing and overlapping multi-lingual standards
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HTML, CGI, Perl, Java, JavaScript, LiveWire, VRML, VRMLScript
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Visual Programming for a multi-server Web (We call it WebVM) based dataflow (we call it WebFlow) is a natural next generation user-friendly programming environment
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We view the area of distributed Web based computing for PSE as a promising niche for NPAC and academic R and D where we expect industry to continue their focus on client-server aspects of the Web where near term profits can be made
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