Computing has become more invisible, widespread and ubiquitous since the inception of the Internet of Things (IoT) and Web of Things. Multiple devices that surround us meet user’s requirements everywhere. Multiple Middleware Framework (MF) designs have come into existence because of the rapid development of interactive services in Heterogeneous Systems. This resulted in the delivery of interactive services throughout Heterogeneous Environments (HE). Users are given free navigation between devices in a widespread environment and continuously interact with each other from any chosen device. Numerous interactive devices with recent interactive platforms (for example, Smart Phones, Mobile Phones, Personal Computer (PC) and Personal Digital Assistant (PDA)) are available in the market. For easy access to information and services irrespective of the device used for working and even at the drastic change of the environment, the execution of applications on a broad spectrum of computing devices is propelled by the availability of the above-mentioned platforms. Different applications that need interoperability to coordinate and correspond with each other should be facilitated. Using a standard interface and data format, HE must link various devices from various platforms together to communicate with each other. To aid the interactive services performed by a middleware framework that operates on Application Programming Interface (API) over HEs, this issue aims to endorse an Adaptable Service Application Programming Interface (ASAPI).
There is increasing popularity for MFs, which perform interactive services over HEs because of the rapid development of interactive services in IoT and HE. Different platforms with distinct computing power, storage capacities, and user interfaces are already deployed in computing devices. Rather than decreasing, this kind of heterogeneity will increase over time since extensive use of new devices are expected. Applications are developed at present for a certain kind of gadgets or system platforms, and the same applications are exclusively made for hand-held or desktops. They are otherwise personalized applications.
Moreover, for each device and processor family, applications should be typically disseminated and installed separately. Correspondingly, developing applications that are executed throughout all platforms will also be complex if the heterogeneity increases. Dissemination and application installation in every device and processor family are uncontrollable due to the increase in devices. So, a standard middleware, which can be used throughout HEs range of devices, is very much essential. The MF that works on API over HE is used by an ASAPI promoted by this problem for aiding interactive services.
The remote units, which do belong to the operating systems and hardware architectures, are given access by various middleware systems like Common Object Request Broker Architecture (CORBA), Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) and Distributed Component Object Model (DCOM). These middleware systems typically provide numerous functionalities resulting in complicated and resource-consuming systems not compatible with small portable and hand-held devices. For different features of mobile devices, semantic support can be adapted using an innovative framework and provides the mobile user’s visibility on semantic functionalities enabled by nearby devices [
In distributed systems, interoperability is a fundamental and highly complicated issue about the discrepancy and dynamism displayed by modern systems [
The acclimatization of the software entities to the changing situation is meant by Adaptability. Furthermore, adaptation becomes inevitable in case of a crucial mismatch between supply and demand [
The new environment offers multiple network connections, and because of user’s preferences, they qualify better. For instance, various devices like PC, PDAs and Mobile phones must be adaptable with any services available in the Service Repository (SR). API specifies the medium through which these two systems communicate with each other. An application that permits the communication of other applications implements an API, which is a software-to-software interface. A set of functions, commands and protocols that achieves a particular task or communicate with a unique software element is specified by API. This set of functions or routines can be utilized by programmers while developing software for a particular operating system. Programmers are permitted to use predefined functions by API to communicate with the operating system rather than writing them from scratch. The applications developed by several vendors have no compatibility since there is no uniform development of software for devices. Without any user knowledge or intervention, applications talk to each other with APIs. By offering a homogeneity, API-like interface permits applications on various platforms or written in multi-languages for interoperation, middleware works.
According to the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), interoperability is defined in a standard glossary of software engineering terminology as “the enabling of two or more systems or components for exchanging information and use one another’s information.” The cooperating subsystems need to interact and comprehend the information at the application level. The primary software provides the processing of a data representation at the system level. A vast range of programming prototypes, languages and enhancing environments is used by application developers and gives prediction regarding the persistence of heterogeneousness until expanding the range of uses for computing technology. In the future, different kinds of software components must support the infrastructure of HE, which is essential for the assimilation of software components. The software components may exist in distinct environments and compositions where effective interaction and cooperation can accomplish daily tasks.
The working together of diverse systems guarantees seamless exchange of information, an ongoing issue in distributed systems [
The information exchanged by SI is meaningful and comprehensible. Besides semantics in data, self-described information packages are also added. SI guarantees the interoperability of IoT from various vendors. UI supplies data to IoT devices, and then, to make the data meaningful with shared vocabulary, semantic annotations from the semantic section are added. A language for explaining real-world semantics, which permits various changing interpretations and perfect automation to capture and create contextual metadata, is introduced in this paper. A mathematical semantics is already possessed by the language and aids SI’s notion that it is a replica of the existing and formal notions of refinement. To understand the vision of IoT, interoperability, which is one of the critical challenges, needs to be addressed. Billions of devices will be allowed to interact and exchange information to complete tasks by attaining interoperability in IoT. Semantics are used to express the needs and capabilities of these devices and services offered by the devices in formalized ways. Semantic Web (SW) technologies explain the methods and tools that emerge from the field [
The enterprise information systems’ interoperability mechanisms are implemented by a Semantic Web Services Oriented Architecture is proposed in paper. SWSOA is constructed on ontologies and contexts, and for annotating web services descriptions, it denotes a reference model. Many fields like knowledge management, intellectual information incorporation, cooperative information system, and Database Integration use ontology that consists of notions, notion properties and the association between notions and restrictions. From the original data, ontologies are defined individually, and a general realization of the semantics of the discourse domain is replicated. A smart recursive acronym queries SPARQL Protocol and Resource Description Framework Query Language. The mining of resultantly merged data is visualized, and association rules on WEKA and Rapid minor software are generated. Ontology is developed using the Protégé tool. The models in different SW languages are edited by adapting knowledge acquisition [
Various features and intentions are focused on by having done many works on middleware. Using Message-Oriented Interactions, the existing Web Services Message Bus (WSMB), a less weight service-oriented framework, has improved interoperability. Through Messaging Services, each function in the functional interface based WSMB framework calls other functions. Lack of semantic transformation is the demerit of the existing WSMB framework, and to gratify the services in the heterogeneous computing environment, interoperability should be enhanced [
In order that various PC, web and mobile applications communicate with distinct platforms, the proposed ASAPI model is designed. There is availability of vast range of interactive devices with new interactive platforms in the market. Applications are forced to work on a vast spectrum of computing devices, enabling users to access information and services irrespective of which device they work with and a dynamic change in the environment. There is a need for middleware with interoperability and semantic transformation to assimilate with various devices used for retrieving their functionality to assure a high level of user satisfaction. By sending requests to the middleware, applications specify their required functionalities. Contrarily, these requests can be explained with multi-languages or techniques. For the use of target system, the translation of request descriptions into an understandable system language is done [
Depending on the service request, the user interacts with the ASAPI model. According to the applications needed by the user, the ASAPI model reacts to the service requests by offering suitable services.
The four phases in the ASAPI model are as follows:
1. Organization Model
2. Application Manager
3. Matching Engine and
4. API Processor
The Organization Model (OM) of the ASAPI model is submitted with a service query requested by the users according to their needs. After parsing the user requesting queries into tokens in the OM, ontology is used to semantically transform these key terms that generally realise the term and its relation with other terms. Next, the semantic query is transmitted to the Matching Engine (ME). The Application Manager Phase and ME interact with each other. The AM phase maintains a list of available services in the SR. For each service available in the SR, the Metadata Repository (MR) maintains the Unique ID. The semantic query facilitates the interaction of ME with the AM Phase. First, the required service description in MR is searched by AM when it receives the Semantic Query. AM recovers its appropriate Services ID if it finds Search Result Collection to send it to ME.
The compare AM’s Search Result Collection and the semantic query. AM transfers the obtained services to the Application Programming Interface Processor (APIP) if the obtained services are found accurately. Through an eXtensible Stylesheet Language Transformations (XSLT), the APIP semantic transformation of essential services with XML schema transforms it into API. Finally, the relevant API service(s) is provided based on the user’s requirement, like desktop, web and mobile applications in the form of a plug-in, so that the APIP phase reacts to the user’s request. Semantic query service is sent to Service Discovery Phase (SDP) if the former is mismatched. An SDP searches the User Requesting Query (URQ) from the server and acquires the service sent to OM. The metadata information of the services is extracted in the OM and stores in MR. With a Unique Service_ID, similar services are stored in the SR.
The data to be stored in XML format is allowed by SR, which is an XML database. The desired format of these data is then queried, exported and serialized. The applications metadata information found in SR is stored in MR. For making domain-specific abstract model, an already available consistent set of terms and concepts is used. The already available set is represented and described explicitly by ontology. Information in properties that consist of values and similarities with the other properties is included in the abstract model.
Java has been implemented in the proposed ASAPI model. The Protégé ontology editor defines the ontology classes for the service description with the OWL language. XSLT uses XML Schema to perform semantic transformations. The performance evaluation test aims to compare the direct invocation by using HTTP
The following metrics are performance evaluators of ASAPI: Number of Application-User’s requirement Users Load Demand Variance-The memory usage of numerous services that is the user’s need Number of Required Services-The user’s requirement of Number of Services Number of Delivered Services-Delivery of Number of Services to the user Binding Time-Time requirement for seeking a particular service
While deploying the proposed model in a widespread computing environment, the interactive services’ Binding Time has substantial improvement than the current WSMB.
Compared to the WSMB model, Binding Time’s ASAPI model is reduced by 4–9% due to integrating function ontology with semantic transformation.
There has been an enhancement in the Number of Serviced Delivered performance over the WSMB model in a widespread environment in the proposed ASAPI model. This is because ME algorithm uses semantic ontology matching to minimize the Binding Time, successfully achieving synchronization and interoperability. The graph represented by
In this paper, the binding of multiple devices in a Heterogeneous Environment depending on the user demand is done by the essential services deployed as API. In this model, the interaction in a HE of the web, mobile and PC applications is facilitated using the flexibility of API interfaces with ontology and semantic transformation. The semantic transformation of applications by XML is used for interactive services of interoperable applications in a heterogeneous environment. The interactive service over HE is rendered by the proposed ASAPI model, and the enhancement of Binding Time is achieved using functional ontology in association with semantic transformation and Matching Engine Process. When compared to WSMB model, Binding Time is minimized by 4–9% in the proposed ASAPI model. By using semantic ontology matching, Binding Time with Matching Engine algorithm is minimized, and more than 8–11% interoperable services are delivered, thus achieving effective synchronization and enhancing interoperability.