Addressing Heterogeneity in the Networked Information Environment

Abstract

Several ongoing Stanford University Digital Library projects address the issue of heterogeneity in networked information environments. A networked information environment has the following components: users, information repositories, information services, and payment mechanisms. This paper describes three of the heterogeneity-focused Stanford projects-InfoBus, REACH, and DLITE. The InfoBus project is at the protocol level, while the REACH and DLITE projects are both at the conceptual model level. The InfoBus project provides the infrastructure necessary for accessing heterogeneous services and utilizing heterogeneous payment mechanisms. The REACH project sets forth a uniform conceptual model for finding information in networked information repositories. The DLITE project presents a general task-based strategy for building user interfaces to heterogeneous networked information services.