Enterprise networks: Improving competition, efficiency, and innovation

IST-2001-34825

SEWASIE

SEWASIE 3rd ReviewSEWASIE 3rd Review

March 14, 2005March 14, 2005

SEWASIE Value Proposition and End User SEWASIE Value Proposition and End User DemoDemo

Andreas BecksAndreas Becks

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s Enterprise networks: Enterprise networks: Improving competition, efficiency, and innovationImproving competition, efficiency, and innovation

Europe’s SMEsEurope’s SMEs– are often organised in industrial districts (e.g. Emilia Romagna)are often organised in industrial districts (e.g. Emilia Romagna) face severe vulnerability due to globalisation face severe vulnerability due to globalisation

weak individual companies are massively threatenedweak individual companies are massively threatened Business cooperation improvesBusiness cooperation improves

– efficiency: capacity managementefficiency: capacity management– innovation: know-how sharinginnovation: know-how sharing– competition: more complex competition: more complex

productsproducts

Ability to build, Ability to build, manage, and position manage, and position enterprise networks will enterprise networks will become an extremely become an extremely important factor important factor of competition!of competition!

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SEWASIE as knowledge integrator for SMEsSEWASIE as knowledge integrator for SMEs Enterprise network managementEnterprise network management

establish multi-partner networksestablish multi-partner networks integrate a cheaper supplier, an innovative working method, a integrate a cheaper supplier, an innovative working method, a

new market, potential clients, partners, sponsors,...new market, potential clients, partners, sponsors,... Basic requirementsBasic requirements

flexibly find partners and being foundflexibly find partners and being found excellent capabilities for financial or legal information excellent capabilities for financial or legal information

managementmanagement integrate internal business data and external market informationintegrate internal business data and external market information

Context-adequate access to information is key to Context-adequate access to information is key to sustainability and successsustainability and success

SEWASIE’s target sectors: Textile and industrial molding SEWASIE’s target sectors: Textile and industrial molding SMEsSMEs– similar requirements in both sectorssimilar requirements in both sectors

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Why Google is not enoughWhy Google is not enough

Google is a great syntactic search tool...Google is a great syntactic search tool...– just type in ‘fabric dyeing processes’just type in ‘fabric dyeing processes’

... but leaves a lot of work for the searcher...... but leaves a lot of work for the searcher...– 45.500 hits for ‘fabric dyeing’ 45.500 hits for ‘fabric dyeing’

related not only to manufacturers of fabric dyeing equipmentrelated not only to manufacturers of fabric dyeing equipment but also the history of dyeing, the dyeing technology, ...but also the history of dyeing, the dyeing technology, ...

... and does not care for the business context of the ... and does not care for the business context of the searchsearch– basic information context can’t be modelledbasic information context can’t be modelled– long-term interestslong-term interests– evaluate, assess business data and relate performance to marketevaluate, assess business data and relate performance to market– establish, maintain business relationshipsestablish, maintain business relationships

No integrated business information management No integrated business information management – Search engines, filtering tools, OLAP tools, negotiation support are Search engines, filtering tools, OLAP tools, negotiation support are

strictly separatedstrictly separated

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The SEWASIE Application ChallengeThe SEWASIE Application Challenge

Find relevant business information from heterogeneous Find relevant business information from heterogeneous sourcessources– Who can deliver specific materials, perform specified processes, Who can deliver specific materials, perform specified processes,

contribute to innovation, ...?contribute to innovation, ...? Continuously monitor external background information Continuously monitor external background information

– What’s up with competitors, collaborators, markets, materials, What’s up with competitors, collaborators, markets, materials, …? …?

Relate internal performance measurement to external Relate internal performance measurement to external market informationmarket information– How can business KPIs (revenue, profit contribution, ...) be How can business KPIs (revenue, profit contribution, ...) be

interpreted or improved based on market situation and market interpreted or improved based on market situation and market opportunities?opportunities?

Negotiate business conditions with potential new Negotiate business conditions with potential new partners and monitor the contract fulfilment partners and monitor the contract fulfilment – What about reliability of delivery, quality of delivered products, What about reliability of delivery, quality of delivered products,

…?…?

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s SEWASIE‘s Integrated Portal SEWASIE‘s Integrated Portal for Access to Business Information & Networkingfor Access to Business Information & Networking Innovation is delivered not only by single components... Innovation is delivered not only by single components...

– Semantic queries for ad-hoc searchSemantic queries for ad-hoc search– Semantic information monitoring for long-term interestsSemantic information monitoring for long-term interests– Document visualisation for information explorationDocument visualisation for information exploration– OLAP functionality for financial reporting and planningOLAP functionality for financial reporting and planning– Ontology-based negotiation support for partner contractingOntology-based negotiation support for partner contracting

SEWASIE’s integrated portal generates added value for the userSEWASIE’s integrated portal generates added value for the user

QueryQuery OLAP OLAP ReportingReporting VisualisationVisualisationMonitoringMonitoring Negotiation/Negotiation/

FulfilmentFulfilment

...but also by their interplay...but also by their interplay

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Introduction to interactive demo: Introduction to interactive demo: Company performance improvement in the textile Company performance improvement in the textile sectorsectorOur user…Our user… is a business controller and procurement manager, is a business controller and procurement manager,

uses all end user functionalities of the SEWASIE uses all end user functionalities of the SEWASIE portal in an integrated fashionportal in an integrated fashion

once had a hard time in keeping himself informed, once had a hard time in keeping himself informed, relating market information with business figures, relating market information with business figures, or finding and negotiating with new partners,or finding and negotiating with new partners,



Search forSearch forpotential partnerspotential partners

Check company's Check company's performanceperformance (controlling, (controlling, accounting)accounting)

Explore additional Explore additional documents, find documents, find

related information forrelated information fordecision supportdecision support

Observe business-Observe business-critical information critical information

(trade press, (trade press, news ticker, …)news ticker, …)

Negotiate contractNegotiate contractconditions with conditions with

new partnernew partner

Relate external and internal informationRelate external and internal information

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s Interactive demo: Interactive demo: Monitoring textile trading news Monitoring textile trading news

Key functionalitiesKey functionalities Long-term ontology-based Long-term ontology-based

monitoring of text documentsmonitoring of text documents Revision-control of monitored Revision-control of monitored

documentsdocuments Navigation of repository by Navigation of repository by

means of a hierarchical view means of a hierarchical view on the ontologyon the ontology

Business applicationBusiness application Keep key personnel informed Keep key personnel informed

about what‘s going on in about what‘s going on in relevant marketsrelevant markets– observe business-critical observe business-critical

information from trade press, information from trade press, news tickers, sector news tickers, sector portals, ...portals, ...

– find changes quicklyfind changes quickly



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s Interactive demo: Interactive demo: Checking financial performanceChecking financial performance

Key functionalitiesKey functionalities OLAP operationsOLAP operations Traffic lightingTraffic lighting Automatic annotation of Automatic annotation of

background information to OLAP background information to OLAP reportsreports

Business applicationBusiness application Check company’s financial Check company’s financial

situation situation Example: Turnover and profit Example: Turnover and profit

goals not reachedgoals not reached– Are the problems individual to Are the problems individual to

the company or general to the the company or general to the branch?branch?

– What potentials can be found to What potentials can be found to increase the earnings or to cut increase the earnings or to cut the costs?the costs?



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s Interactive demo: Interactive demo: Exploring additional market informationExploring additional market information

Key functionalitiesKey functionalities Visualisation of monitored Visualisation of monitored

business informationbusiness information– based on similarity metaphorbased on similarity metaphor

Metadata- and content-based Metadata- and content-based navigation; multiple views on navigation; multiple views on – document content structure, document content structure, – ontology, and ontology, and – multidimensional business multidimensional business

modelmodel

Business applicationBusiness application Get a quick overview of Get a quick overview of

business-relevant text business-relevant text informationinformation– get the ‘big picture’get the ‘big picture’

Explore and relate documentsExplore and relate documents– and understand their and understand their

relevance to the companyrelevance to the company



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s Interactive demo: Interactive demo: Find Find relevant business informationrelevant business information

Key functionalitiesKey functionalities Ontology-based query tool to Ontology-based query tool to

support rich vocabularysupport rich vocabulary Query formulation supportQuery formulation support

– for casual users who don‘t for casual users who don‘t know vocabularyknow vocabulary

Intentional navigation for Intentional navigation for unskilled usersunskilled users– iterative query refinementiterative query refinement

Business applicationBusiness application Access branch-related Access branch-related

databases, news portals, etc. databases, news portals, etc. with a single query interfacewith a single query interface– Single access point for Single access point for

heterogeneous, business-heterogeneous, business-related data sourcesrelated data sources

Time savings for information Time savings for information findingfinding– by precise queryingby precise querying



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s Interactive demo: Interactive demo: Negotiate business conditions with new partnersNegotiate business conditions with new partners

Key functionalitiesKey functionalities Ontology-based negotiation Ontology-based negotiation

supportsupport– multi attribute negotiationmulti attribute negotiation– negotiation about ontologiesnegotiation about ontologies

Decision support in one-to-Decision support in one-to-many negotiationsmany negotiations

Logical formalisation of Logical formalisation of contractcontract

Business applicationBusiness application Contracting with business Contracting with business

partnerspartners– avoid ambiguity in avoid ambiguity in

contracting communicationcontracting communication– efficient integration of efficient integration of

business communication and business communication and contract development contract development

– transparency by traceability transparency by traceability of negotiation processof negotiation process



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SummarySummary



End user perspective on the SEWASIE systemEnd user perspective on the SEWASIE system– A typical end user day...A typical end user day...

Coming up now:Coming up now:– Operational perspective: What happens behind the scenes...Operational perspective: What happens behind the scenes...

Query management: How queries are solvedQuery management: How queries are solved Monitoring execution: How queries are generated and issuedMonitoring execution: How queries are generated and issued Negotiation execution: How negotiations are initiatedNegotiation execution: How negotiations are initiated

– Design perspective:Design perspective: Bottom-up evolution by source integrationBottom-up evolution by source integration Top-down ontology management and mappingTop-down ontology management and mapping Querying over multiple Brokering AgentsQuerying over multiple Brokering Agents

Documents

Enterprise networks: Improving competition, efficiency, and innovation