Enabling integration and aggregation of context information into WS-BPEL processes

Abstract

Previously, techniques of Context-Aware Computing were limited only to small scale monolithic applications due to the lack of standardized technologies which could support interoperability of services owned by different organizations. The advancement in Service-Oriented Computing technology allowed autonomous and heterogeneous applications to be exposed as Web Services and interconnected into service compositions exploiting well-agreed interfaces, protocols and message formats. The Web Service Business Process Execution Language (WS-BPEL) is the de-facto standard for composing reusable Web services. To enable handling of context information in applications, context information has to be made available within service compositions; hence, integrated in WS-BPEL processes. Through this means, new innovative context-enriched services can be built and provided using the convergence of context-aware computing and workflow technology. In this diploma thesis, context information provided by the C-CAST Context Management Framework and Google Maps Web services, is integrated into WS-BPEL, and business modelers are supported with the creation of context-based compositions. After surveying some of the current best practice and relevant literature in this area, this thesis presents a solution to this problem based on the Integration Process Pattern work previously done at the Institute of Architecture of Application Systems at the University of Stuttgart