On Composing Web Services for Coalition Operations

Keywords:

Abstract:

The rapid development of information and communication technologies provides new opportunities for users to access up-to-date information anytime, anywhere. The adoption of these technologies is highly recommended in coalition operations of humanitarian-assistance type, which feature the commitment of several international partners. A humanitarian-assistance scenario needs the simultaneous participation of governmental and non-governmental organizations in order to relieve the consequences of a natural disaster. In this scenario, the participants have to agree on the information to share and act in a coordinated manner despite the different doctrines, cultures, and languages that exist among them. Moreover, the diversity and versatility of a humanitarian-assistance scenario constitute another set of obstacles that have to be overcome by the participants. This paper aims at promoting the appropriateness and relevancy of Web services in coalition operations since they can improve the inter-platform communication through well-defined standards.