Integrated Message Framework : strategy, design and implementation

As we subscribe to more and more communication channels our 'world of messages' is becoming a complex matrix of dispersed information. Emailing, Blogging, Instant Messaging... have become customary daily activities for many. While the wealth of media enriches our interaction experiences, it nonetheless constrains our ability to assimilate information from one location (information is stored online, on a local machine, and on the local network) and in one format. As a matter of fact, given our reliance on multiple communication channels, we have to resort to using several distributed applications that lack a unified visual interface and storage structure. Result: 1- Incompatible message description and storage structures. 2- Incompatible message transfer and notification standards. As in the case of Email and Instant Messaging which despite their many similarities are still highly non interoperable. 3- No horizontal visibility across and within message media formats (Email, Blog, IM, etc...) preventing unified searches, correspondence logging and centralized information management. 4- Distributed contact and address repository, preventing access to a unified comprehensive 'Address Book'. Large corporations have the ability to resolve the issues above by forcing a top down standardization policy that regulates correspondence forms and formats between and across their business units. While that approach might prove fairly successful in homogeneous environments, it fails to address the needs of heterogeneous project workgroups which have neither the infrastructure nor the logistics to enforce a unifying framework.

Department dc:contributor.department

Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering.

Grantor dc:publisher

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Year dc:date.issued

2004

Author dc:creator

• Dajani, Tarek, 1974-

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• George Kocur.

• Civil and Environmental Engineering.

Statement dc:rights

• M.I.T. theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission.

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/30132

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/30132