Communication Language Specifications For Digital Ecosystems

TL;DR

This paper introduces ECL, an XML-based communication language designed for data exchange in digital ecosystems, enabling interoperability among heterogeneous service components.

Contribution

It defines the specifications of ECL and the Ecosystem Communication Unit, facilitating open, transparent, and protocol-independent communication in digital ecosystems.

Findings

ECL enables interoperable communication across diverse protocols.

The Ecosystem Communication Unit effectively interprets and routes ECL messages.

Open specifications promote portability and integration in digital ecosystems.

Abstract

Service-based IT infrastructures are today's trend and the future for every enterprise willing to support dynamic and agile business to contend with the ever changing e-demands and requirements. A digital ecosystem is an emerging business IT model for developing agile e-enterprises made out of self-adaptable, self-manageable, self-organizing, and sustainable service components. This paper defines the specifications of a communication language for exchanging data between connecting entities in digital ecosystems. It is called ECL short for Ecosystem Communication Language and is based on XML to format its request and response messages. An ECU short for Ecosystem Communication Unit is also presented which interprets, validates, parses ECL messages and routes them to their destination entities. ECL is open and provides transparent, portable, and interoperable communication between the different heterogeneous distributed components to send requests, and receive responses from each other, regardless of their incompatible protocols, standards, and technologies. As future research, digital signature for ECL is to be investigated so as to deliver data integrity as well as message authenticity for the digital ecosystem.