Service Oriented Architecture (SOA), Research Proposal Example

Abstract

This study proposes a low-level e-government architecture powered by Service Oriented Architecture (SOA), as it will address issues with the architecture and will achieve interoperability faultlessly. Likewise, the architecture will play a role model in revolutionizing a vision and define a communal understanding of e-government systems.

Objectives

The primary objective of this research is to redefine e-government as the channel of delivering government services in a programmed way by utilizing computers. Likewise, the objective clearly reflects the dependability of these services on the computer systems i.e. if there are no systems, these services cannot be delivered. The e-government system is basically a complete replication of the government’s physical world along with its objectives, policies, processes and structures integrated with each other. Consequently, the realization of the e-government system is not directly proportional to the existence of computers and systems, else it relies on the diversified computers and systems maintained and updated by various government entities that are interconnected with each other across all limitations flawlessly. Likewise, this functionality is called as an e-government interoperability, as in a broader sense, it is defined as the collaboration of government officials to work collectively. Moreover, on a technical stand point, it is a platform where two or more government systems exchange information and utilize that information for achieving a common goal.

The elaboration of e-government definition can incorporate computers and systems managed by various government officials that may not limited to agencies, ministries for interacting efficiently to successfully execute transactions automatically. Likewise, the integration of systems needs three different functionalities i.e. firstly, they must exchange information, secondly, a system must have the functionality to be triggered by another computing function or system and thirdly, the functionality of the system to entreat a service or system residing on another computer or system that provides a synchronous or asynchronous output.

Likewise, interoperability mitigates the issues with automation, as it empowers business processes initiating from one system to another. Secondly, it also activates business processes from one system application to another. Moreover, interoperability also enables systems to work with each other in real time and at the same time exchange mission critical business information. If we collectivize all these facts together, an objective can be drawn about the e-government systems to be successful only by interoperability.

Contributions

The initial research on achieving interoperability for e-government systems was conducted in 1980’s in which the standard of information and communication technology came into existence with respect to proprietary systems. Likewise, this process of familiarization with a standard is known as Electronic Government Interoperability Framework (e-GIF). Likewise, this standard provides asset of guidelines that reflects a common practice for ensuring a logical flow of information through computers and systems. Moreover, many countries have developed their own standards for example, United Kingdom is using European Interoperability Framework (EIF) and Australia is using Australian Government Technical Interoperability Framework (AGTIF). Nevertheless, following a standard still does not guarantees interoperability in systems. For instance, the UK based eGIF is considered to me one of the mature interoperability framework: the first version of this framework was published in the year 2001 and since then, it has reached to version 6.1 till the year 2005 and still none of these upgraded versions were able to address interoperability issues.

One more contribution to this research is a determination of an e-government objective is the performance of these heterogeneous and separated computing systems that will be interconnected with each other to exchange information with defined processes. Moreover, this also requires a low level holistic view of system architecture that will integrate the existing computer and systems in a single platform. Secondly, this contribution will also consider legacy software, system and technical implementation in spite of replacing them. Likewise, the government systems have already spent large amount of money for developing these systems and at this stage, it is not practical to propose a big bang approach that wipes out all the legacy computers systems and applications operational on the current infrastructure. The suggested system architecture comprises of three modules i.e.

• First module: it is called a Service Oriented e-government architecture
• Second module: it is called an Interoperability Repository
• Third module: it is called a development and quality assurance infrastructure

Research Questions

• What are the issues for e-government architecture integrated with Service Oriented Architecture (SOA)?
• What are the current practices in place for e-government architecture integrated with Service Oriented Architecture (SOA)?
• What are the proposed changes that may improve e-government architecture integrated with Service Oriented Architecture (SOA)?
• How the proposed system will improve e-government architecture integrated with Service Oriented Architecture (SOA)?
• How the proposed system will improve e-government architecture integrated with Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) with software engineering approach?

Conclusion

We have discussed the challenges and gaps identified in the low level system architecture that is also a major challenge while achieving robust and seamless e-government interoperability. Likewise, the research also discusses an architecture comprising of three component and this holistic approach works altogether to achieve a vision of e-government architecture integrated with Service Oriented Architecture (SOA).