XIMA

The eXtensible Information Management Architecture (XIMA) enables universal client access to the OMS Java data management system through a clear separation of content and presentation. The access layer is based around an XML server and the use of XSLT templates for output generation. We currently support HTML, WML, CHTML and regular telephones using speech recognition and synthesis (VoiceXML). Responses can be customised and the system is flexible in supporting new types of client devices.

 

A major goal of XIMA is to support application development through rapid prototyping and refinement. Generic browsers enable all information objects to be accessed by the set of supported client devices automatically based on default presentation templates. For XIMA’s generic object browser, the appropriate XSLT stylesheets for different media output channels can be reused by future applications. In the case a content object is not available in the format requested by the client device, the request is delegated to a Media Transcoder component which automatically transforms an existing content object to the appropriate format.

 

The XIMA framework has been used to develop various applications. A community diary was implemented that manages the scheduling of group events as well as personal diaries and deploys the information on desktop browsers, mobile phones and regular phones based on a speech interface. In another project, it has been used to build an advanced telephone service for the dissemination of avalanche forecasts for the Swiss Alps. As part of our solution for interactive paper we have extended the XIMA framework to support paper as a new input/output device and integrate physical and digital information.

More implementation specific information is available on the XIMA project website.

Contact Persons

Moira C. Norrie, norrie@inf.ethz.ch

Beat Signer, signer@inf.ethz.ch