Implementing geographical taxonomy within network-accessible service registries using spatial extensions

• US 6,976,027 B2
• Filed: 08/21/2002
• Issued: 12/13/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 08/21/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Cutlip, Robert R.
• Primary Examiner(s): PHAM, KHANH B
• Application Number:
  US10/224,896
• Publication Number:
  US 20040039738A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,210 Days
• Field of Search: 707 3- 6, 707/10, 707/100, 707/101, 701/200, 701/208, 711/216
• US Class Current: 711/216
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9537 Spatial or temporal dependent retrieval, e.g. spatiotemporal queries
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/921 Spatial
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/959 Network
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99942 Manipulating data structure, e.g. compression, compaction, compilation

Abstract

Techniques are disclosed for using geographical taxonomy data in network-accessible registries (such as the Universal Description, Discovery, and Integration, or “UDDI”, registry), where this taxonomy data leverages spatial extenders within spatially-enabled databases. Built-in functions of a spatially-enabled object relational database system can then be used for entries in the network-accessible registry.

Claims

1. A method of improving categorization in network-accessible service registries, comprising steps of:

specifying, in an entry that represents a network-accessible service in a network accessible service registry, an identifier of a geographical taxonomy specification; and

specifying a classification value in the entry, wherein the classification value categorizes the network-accessible service in context of the specified geographical taxonomy specification,

wherein the specified geographical taxonomy identifier and classification value point to a row in a spatially-enable database by applying a hash function, wherein the pointed-to-row comprises geospatial data related to the network-accessible service represented by the entry;

wherein the network-accessible registry is a Universal Description, Discovery, and Integration registry.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the steps of specifying the identifier and specifying the classification value are performed for entries representing a plurality of network-accessible services, and further comprising the step of locating a particular one of the plurality of network-accessible services by searching the network-accessible service registry using a particular geographical taxonomy identifier and classification value.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the steps of specifying the identifier and specifying the classification value are performed for entries representing a plurality of network-accessible services, and further comprising the steps of:

searching the network-accessible service registry according to one or more search criteria, thereby locating at least one geographical taxonomy identifier and its associated classification value; and

for each located geographical taxonomy identifier and associated classification value, performing the steps of;

bashing the located geographical taxonomy identifier and classification value to create an index value; and

accessing the spatially-enabled database using the index value.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the steps of specifying the identifier and specifying the classification value are performed for entries representing a plurality of network-accessible service, and further comprising the steps of:

searching the network-accessible service registry according to one or more search criteria, thereby locating at least one geographical taxonomy identifier and its associated classification value; and

saving each located geographical taxonomy identifier and classification value for later use in accessing the pointed-to row.

5. The method according to claim 4, further comprising the steps of:

hashing each saved geographical taxonomy identifier and classification value to create an index value; and

using each index value to access to corresponding row of the spatially-enabled database.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the steps of specifying the identifier and specifying the classification value are performed for entries representing a plurality of network-accessible services, and further comprising the steps of:

determining selected ones of the entries in the network-accessible service registry whose geographical taxonomy identifier and classification value are obsolete or no longer needed; and

programmatically removing the determined ones from the network-accessible registry.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the step of programmatically removing is preceded by the step of prompting a user to confirm the removal, and then only continuing with the removal if the user consents.

8. The method according to claim 2, wherein at least one of the entries comprises a plurality of geographical taxonomy specification identifiers and classification values, each categorizing the network-accessible service represented by the entry in context of different geographical taxonomies.

9. A system for improving categorization in a network-accessible service registry deployed in a communication network, comprising:

a plurality of network-accessible service registration entries in the network-accessible service registry, each entry corresponding to a particular network-accessible service registered in the service registry, wherein;

each entry comprises at least one identifier-value pair associated with the corresponding network-accessible service;

the identifier in each identifier-value pair identifies a geographical taxonomy and the value in each identifier-value pair categorizes the associated network-accessible service in context of the identified geographical taxonomy; and

each identifier-value pair points to one of a plurality of rows in a spatially-enabled database by applying a hash function, each pointed-to-row comprising geospatial data corresponding to the service associated with that identifier-value pair;

means for searching the identifier-value pairs in the entries to locate at least one identifier-value pair matching specified search criteria;

means for using the identifier and the value in each located identifier-value pair to access the row pointed to by that pair, thereby accessing the geospatial data related to the service associated with that identifier-value pair;

wherein the network-accessible service registry is a Universal Description, Discovery, and integration registry.

10. The system according to claim 9, wherein the specified search criteria comprises an identifier of a particular geographical taxonomy and a particular value.

11. The system according to claim 9, further comprising means for using spatial extensions provided by the spatially-enabled database to operate upon the geospatial data of at least one accessed row.

12. The system according to claim 9, further comprising:

means for determining selected ones of the identifier-value pairs that no longer needed;

means for prompting a user to confirm whether the determined ones should be removed from the network-accessible service registry; and

means for programmatically removing the determined ones from the network-accessible service registry if the user consents via the means for prompting.

13. The system according to claim 9, wherein the means for searching locates at least two identifier-value pairs that are different yet point to a single row in the spatially-enabled database.

14. A computer program product for improving categorization in network-accessible registries, the computer program product embodied on one or more computer storage media and comprising:

computer-readable program code means for specifying, in an entry that represents a network-accessible service in a network-accessible registry, an identifier of a geographical taxonomy specification; and

computer-readable program code means for specifying a classification value in the entry, wherein the classification value categorizes the network-accessible service in context of the specified geographical taxonomy specification,

wherein the specified geographical taxonomy identifier and classification value point to a row in a spatially-enable database by applying a hash function, wherein the pointed-to-row comprises geospatial data related to the network-accessible service represented by the entry;

wherein the network-accessible registry is a Universal Description, Discovery, and Integration registry.

15. The computer program product according to claim 14, wherein the computer-readable program code means for specifying the identifier and the computer-readable program code means for specifying the classification value are executed for entries representing a plurality of network-accessible services, and further comprising computer-readable program code means for locating a particular one of the plurality of network-accessible services by searching the network-accessible service registry using a particular geographical taxonomy identifier and classification value.

16. The computer program product according to claim 14, wherein the computer-readable program code means for specifying the identifier and the computer-readable program code means for specifying the classification value are executed for entries representing a plurality of network-accessible services, and further comprising:

computer-readable program code means for searching the network-accessible service registry according to one or more search criteria, thereby locating at least one geographical taxonomy identifier and its associated classification value;

computer-readable program code means for hashing each located geographical taxonomy identifier and classification value, thereby creating an index value for each located geographical taxonomy identifier and classification value; and

computer-readable program code means for accessing the spatially-enabled database using each index value.

17. A method of offering improved categorization of a network-accessible service registry, comprising steps of:

allowing specification of a plurality of network-accessible service registration entries in the network-accessible service registry, each entry corresponding to a particular network-accessible service registered in the service registry, wherein;

each entry comprises at least one identifier-value pair associated with the corresponding network-accessible service;

the identifier in each identifier-value pair identifies a geographical taxonomy and the value in each identifier-value pair categorizes the associated network-accessible service in context of the identified geographical taxonomy; and

each identifier-value pair points to one of a plurality of rows in a spatially-enabled database by applying a hash function, each pointed-to-row comprising geospatial data corresponding to the service associated with that identifier-value pair;

providing search facilities for the network-accessible service registry, which search the identifier-value pairs in the entries to locate at least one identifier-value pair matching specified search criteria; and

providing access facilities for using the identifier and the value in each located identifier-value pair to access the row pointed to by that pair, thereby accessing the geospatial data related to the service associated with that identifier-value pair;

wherein the network-accessible service registry is a Universal Description, Discovery, and integration registry.