Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
based on Gridsphere, implements AgroGrid-specific portlets for all AgroGrid
functionality needed. This includes, for instance, portlets for BaseVO manage-
ment and VO visualisation, capacity publication and query, and SLA negotia-
tion and SLA evaluation. For a user to access these portlets - and with them the
core AgroGrid features - very little or no new investment is needed: As soon as
a user account is opened, portlets are accessible via a standard browser through
the Internet. No additional software or configuration is required locally.
• Thus, for a successful integration with GTNet®, and in order to profit from
GTNet®'s tracking and tracing functionality, an installed and configured TIX is
needed. All AgroGrid components can be installed locally on a company's level
or they can be hosted by the AgroGrid Provider. The actual number of AgroGrid
modules which can be deployed locally depends on a user's role within an
AgroGrid VO. In the case the company acts as a VO coordinator, the respective
AgroGrid modules for VO management, SLA template repository, SLA nego-
tiation, SLA monitoring, and SLA evaluation have to be installed for active use
in AgroGrid. Other AgroGrid VO members only require the modules for SLA
template repository and SLA negotiation. Again, all components can be used as
Software as a Service instead of being installed locally.
• In terms of process adaptations needed, all processes known to an existing
GTNet® user remain unchanged. This refers in particular to the processes to
upload and extract trade-related information to and from GTNet®. The actual
capacity-related publication/lookup/booking processes plus all VO and SLA
management processes will happen within the AgroGrid portal, which is
designed with ease-of-use in mind so that those steps are clearly separated into
easily differentiated tabs that allow for a short and easy learning period.
11.3.3 Discussion of the Added Value
AgroGrid users benefit from multifarious advantages in using AgroGrid. AgroGrid
enables its users - companies in the food industry - to profit from a solution that
facilitates dynamic production capacity markets in the agriculture food segment
with the help of Virtual Organisation and Service Level Agreement management
components and GTNet®'s fully integrated tracking and tracing functionality. To
a good proportion, these user benefits base on AgroGrid's use of Grid-related prin-
ciples, namely the use of resource sharing in VOs representing food supply chains,
the comprehensive support of SLAs in the complete life-cycle, and the use of the
Gridsphere portal server as a reliable, secure and user-friendly container for the
implementation of all central AgroGrid services by means of AgroGrid portlets.
Accordingly, the benefits for AgroGrid users include:
• Flexibility: AgroGrid users are enabled to offer production and logistics capaci-
ties to publish, and to source capacities from dynamic capacity networks through
the AgroGrid market place. The AgroGrid market place facilitates increases a
user's flexibility by means of on-demand visibility of available capacities.
• Efficiency: The AgroGrid portal aggregates portlets for all relevant AgroGrid
services - ranging from capacity and VO to SLA management - in a user
