PROJECTS ARCHIVE
Mash Ups

A great deal of data is generated as a byproduct of telecommunication network operations.
In this project we studied how to make use of those data, knowing that if properly analyzed, either in real-time or in post-processing, they can be instrumental in providing new services leading to new revenues.
The data as such and the issues pertaining to privacy and control have been addressed in the Life and Lives project.

The currently accepted definition of a mash up is of a web-based application that combines data from two or more sources, into a single integrated solution. The most widely cited example of this is the combination of data from Google Maps, with information on local businesses taken from an online directory or another data source. A practical example is allowing the users to search for a local restaurant in Venice and be presented with a map showing their locations and a brief summary of the sort of meal they supply.

The project started by analyzing existing (and evolving) mash ups. There are plenty, and they fall onto several categories. Most of them are related to the availability of Google Maps, several others are based on different sorts of Maps provided by other companies. A few are starting to appear using as a base news generated by newsCo and some experimental mash ups is being tried on broadcasted news on television.

Building successful, effective, reliable and long- running mash up applications is not a trivial task, and - indeed – it is something that generates its own architectural, organizational and implementation problems.
The lack of a single standard or technology could be a real problem. An Operator may need to identify an appropriate one in cooperation with its development department. Specific technologies to be taken into account include Asynchronous JavaScript and XML (AJAX) on the client, server side Java, XML-based web services, Representational State Transfer (REST) and RSS/ATOM data feeds. In addition, screen-scraping techniques can be used to extract information from web sites that do not provide a more easily accessible data source.

A further issue to be taken into account is related to data integration: one fundamental assumption in any mash up is that data will be integrated from two or more applications. However, what one system may refer to as a supplier another may call a vendor. What one system considers as a number another may assume it is a string. Thus integrating data from diverse sources may prove to be a very difficult job. Again: what does data mean? If a common reference model is available then translations between one data source and another can be made. Unfortunately most Telecom Operators did not define a Semantic meaning for the data and they most probably use different technologies for their database.
It is also important to remember that data sources in a mash up are logically and physically different and today a reference model does not exist.

The study pointed out that since mash ups are dynamic new systems having a potentially strong economic value in terms of direct revenues and of biz aggregation they need to be taken into account by a telecom Operator. However, they are not inherently simple or trivial to develop. The Operator’s It department needs to be involved to address all integration issues.

Out of the Atoms and Bits project we have considered individual products, and by extension service, as a seed, a base, for a mash ups. Platforms serving manufacturers and retailers may accommodate a mash ups supporting architecture. This is now being considered in the Future of Retail project.

The general recommendation actions of the project may be synthesized in two prongs:

• Operators need to embrace the Mash Ups in their open architecture since this is a strong enabler to let third parties develop services that would eventually increase the value of the ecosystem.



• Operators biz sales representatives should offer Mash Ups opportunity to biz customers explaining how their product line can increase in value if it is embedding a Mash Ups offering. This biz proposition, if sustained by a Operator support architecture, can create a stronger bonding between the Operator service offering and the business clients. In some cases, the exploitation of Operators owned data, related to the business client’s clients, may increase the value of the Mash Ups.

Related to the first recommended action point several discussion took place with Telecom Italia IT Innovative Architecture Area resulting in the taken up of some of the ideas focused by the project in the evolution of Telecom Italia Support Systems.
Related to the second there has been an involvement of several TI sales reps and several TI Clients in the context of the Market of One project.