InforSense, leader of the SIMDAT workflow package, is currently investigating the standardisation issues dealing with workflow systems with regards to interoperability between them.

Up to now there are no widely accepted and used standards in this area. The BPEL language has been suggested as a possible standard for Web Service orchestration. Similarly, the workflow management coalition had published a set of interoperability standards and languages (including XPDL) for interoperability between workflow systems. In both cases, the requirements for the workflow systems under consideration are drastically different from those for a workflow system for scientific application such as within SIMDAT. InforSense will develop a usage profile for the use of the workflow languages within SIMDAT and, with the help of LMS/NOESIS and IT Innovation, will continue their work into enabling interoperability between their workflow systems.

The SIMDAT workflow interoperability approach has been validated by achieving interoperation between five different workflow engines in the Aerospace application activity. The interoperability is achieved through two methods that are based on the use of standards. The first method relies on the use of Web Service standards for invoking workflow applications deployed as GRIA services. The second method deploys workflow servers as GRIA services and supports the submission of workflow definitions from one workflow engine to another (remote) one.