Applying semantic technologies for Enterprise Application Integration

Enterprise Application Integration (EAI) is a critical function that enables collaboration within an enterprise. Historically, EAI occurs at two levels: syntactic and semantic. Syntactic Integration refers to interchange of data without regard to explicit representation of the meaning — this includes parameter passing mechanisms, external data accesses, and timing mechanisms. Semantic Integration refers to the interchange of data where there is explicit representation of the meaning of the data. Semantic integration produces integrated systems and applications that are qualitatively superior and robust. In this paper, we present an ontology-driven approach to achieving semantically-assured EAI. In particular, we will describe how ontologies can be used to semantically map concepts among information systems formats and how complex, end-to-end integration may be achieved using SOA-enabled workflow automation.