As businesses grow, they are faced with the ever-increasing challenge of integrating a number of heterogeneous information sources in order to develop and maintain an accurate, timely, and comprehensive understanding of the data that fuels their critical business decisions. Today’s global networked information technology environment makes the problem even more complex because vital information may be locked away in widely different hardware and software systems that are spread across the enterprise. In many situations, information required to make an informed decision may even reside outside the IT systems within the business’ enterprise, as for example when a decision maker must rely upon information supplied by a business partner’s IT systems. How can information from such widely disparate sources be brought together in a cost-effective manner that allows systems to remain loosely coupled yet be integrated so that the information flow is seamless and so that one IT system can utilize the information produced by another, significantly different IT system?

One powerful tool for addressing this difficult problem is data mediation. Data mediation provides a formalized model and set of services for managing data heterogeneity. In simplest terms, data mediation converts data from one format into another format. For example, data mediation services might be used to convert USMTF messages produced by a legacy military system into XML for further processing by a more technologically advanced application. Or data mediation services might be used to convert a satellite image from NITF format into JPEG format for use in an image processing application that cannot utilize NITF images. The advantage of using data mediation services is that the systems on opposite ends of the information exchange do not have to be modified to make the information exchange possible. The result is a cost-efficient, rapid solution that integrates different information sources without the need to enforce a single common data format across all IT systems.

FGM is experienced in using commercially available data mediators, such as MetaMatrix™, and in building custom mediation services to perform run-time integration of data from independent heterogeneous data sources. Our data mediation expertise also includes the use of Web Service orchestration to integrate data when the information sources have Web Services front ends. We have applied our expertise to a number of real-world systems, such as the DOD’s Global Combat Support System (GCSS) in which we used data mediation services to rapidly integrate information together from almost a dozen different logistics databases. Our data mediation services and expertise are also an integral part of DISA’s Net-Centric Enterprise Services (NCES) Program, which is the foundational program for the DOD’s net-centric transformation initiatives.

Incorporating data mediation services
into an effective overall enterprise
data strategy.

	Case Study: NCES Supporting DoD's efforts to improve information-sharing, application reuse, and enhance interoperability between organizations

	John W. Wilmer Vice President Integrated Defense Systems jwwilmer@fgm.com Ph.: 703.885.1000 Fax: 703.885.0130