METSI: Metadata Establishing Trust in SOA-based Information

ABSTRACT: Operating in a Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA) environment is risky because there is limited ability to gauge the quality of information, especially information that has been transformed multiple times as it flows within the SOA. To address this problem, CFDRC built METSI (Metadata Establishing Trust in SOA-based Information) to quantify the Quality of Information (QoI) using seven QoI Metrics that evaluate independent aspects of information quality. METSI also includes a QoI Rating that provides a numerical summary of the QoI for filtering and visualization. METSI is built upon CFDRC"s existing DINES technology which provides data integrity protection to both information and metadata in SOA environments and protects against cyber attacks. In Phase I, a prototype was developed that demonstrate the feasibility of the QoI Rating and QoI Metrics and conveying QoI in SOAs. During Phase II, these metrics will be enhanced and new metrics will be added to improve the accuracy of the system. A full prototype will be developed and integrated into AFRL"s Phoenix architecture to demonstrate and fine-tune METSI. Additionally, METSI will be validated by evaluating it with real-world data. New capabilities will also be added to prevent insider threats and tested with several cyber attacks. BENEFIT: The SOA-based (Service Oriented Architecture) solution for quantifying the Quality of Information (QoI) developed under this project, called METSI (Metadata Establishing Trust in SOA-based Information), will be greatly beneficial to the Air Force and the rest of DoD in addressing the Global Information Grid (GIG) goal of a secure, collaborative environment. Additionally, METSI"s capability of connecting to legacy systems and external SOAs to quantify the trust of information coming from these domains that don"t provide rich metadata capabilities will address the short term goals of managing the Quality of Information (QoI) for current DoD systems. CFDRC"s commercialization strategy is focused in two areas. First, CFDRC will develop and market the METSI technology for the Air Force. During Phase II, CFDRC will integrate MESTI into AFRL"s Phoenix architecture to demonstrate its capabilities and fine-tune its seven QoI Metrics that quantify information quality. Using this demonstration, CFDRC will market the METSI technology to potential military customers during Phase II. In Phase III, CFDRC will integrate METSI into other military systems and provide consulting on incorporating new quality metrics. ITT Exelis has already expressed interest in the METSI technology and has provided a strong support letter. The second focus is to market the METSI technology to providers of Electronic Medical Record (EMR) solutions and demonstrate how METSI can evaluate and propagate the QoI in medical records as detailed medical tests are summarized. Additionally, EMR solution providers will be interested in METSI"s ability to work efficiently in federated environments. CFDRC will use its existing relationship with Systems Made Simple, a provider of EMR technology, to market and commercialize the technology in the medical IT market.