Medical institutions or centers used information system to run their daily operation. Most of medical institutions or centers have their own web based application. Why web based application is needed in medical institutions or centers? Web based application can used anytime and anywhere as long as internet connection is available. The web based application can help these medical institutions or centers manage their works effectively and efficiently. The web based application stored lot of biological data in database server. Biological data is important in medical area for specified purpose such as patient documentation, disease presentation, statistical documentation, etc. Web based application is divided into two components. First is web application server, and second is database server. The web application server contains application sources code and database server contains biological data. Web application server is connected to database server in order to search and retrieve biological data based on queries from web users. The biological data is lot and phenomenal rate. The issue in biological data is heterogeneous biological data sources. How to integrate? Why this integration is needed? This integration is needed to ensure all web based applications can access all biological data sources. The purpose of this integration heterogeneous biological data sources is to help medical institutions or centers get more information about patient records, disease statistical, etc. A Web Service Platform (WSP) is proposed to solve this problem. The main function in WSP is to allow web based applications access all data sources. For instance, web based application A can access data sources from web based application B. The WSP will act as server between platform A and platform B. In this research also, XML approach will implement in WSP in order to improve web query processing in searching and retrieving process from heterogeneous biological data sources.

A Web Service Platform has been applied in archaeological domain [1]. A framework (MIDAS) [2] was developed for storing vast amount of information. The function this framework is to query archaeological data and to reconstruct the objects and archaeological sites. A decentralized platform also was developed. Main function the decentralized platform is to facilitate the querying of multiple heterogeneous archaeological databases through Web. Usually, archaeological databases are required to store wide range of complex archaeological data. A computer is mainly helping the excavation process. However, data in archeological databases provide a medium for reconstruction, management, and realistic visualization. 3D Murale [3] is used for recording, reconstructing, database, and visualization components. The recording tools were developed for measuring, terrain, stratigraphy, buildings, building blocks, pottery, shreds, and statues on the archaeological site. One of archaeological projects is Tay [4]. This project was developing for archaeological inventory on the Web. A database is created to store and archive the archaeological sites and the findings. This project also provides function is for browsing and searching archaeological data. Web users can search and get information about archaeological easily through this system. Figure 1 shows interface for Tay Project.

Figure 1: Tay Project.

Another projects in archaeological is The Ban Mapping [5]. In this project, national database of pre-Islamic sites was developed. They have built very useful dataset and resource for Egyptologist and Archaeologist. Web users can search information by entered data such as text, date, subject, country, source, period, and language. The web users also can enter keyword or logical operators for searching purpose. About 5000 objects were selected for the wide collection of the British Museum’s collection and stored in database is called “Compass” [6]. Database of Irish Excavation Reports [7] contains summary accounts of all the excavations carried out in Ireland from 1985 to 2000. Through this database, searching and browsing process can used multiple fields of the reports such as name, title, etc. The most popular web service is called “Mediolanum” [8]. This web service is created facilitate international cooperation in the planning and execution of archaeological field work all over Europe. Through this literature, a Web Service Platform has a potential to implement in other domain. In this paper, the WSP is implemented in biomedical. The WSP is needed in biomedical area. Through this platform, web users can search and get biomedical data especially biomedical image.

Figure 2: Web Service Platform (WSP).

Web Service Platform (WSP)

This section presents a Web Service Platform (WSP) in accessing heterogeneous biological data.

Suppose M = {xi, x2, x3, xn}, where x represent registered web based applications and stored in register server, A. M is a member of A, this is denoted M ∈ A. Equivalently, this formula also can write A ⊇ M, read as A is a superset of M. Here, WSP is important. The importance of WSP is to ensure web user got the right or related information after searching and retrieving processes. In this research also, WSP was designed to support different programming language in web based application development. Figure 3 shows how WSP work and support different programming language in web based applications development.

Figure 3: XML in WSP.

In Figure 3 represents three web based applications used different languages in development. Computer A use a Java language, computer B use a PHP language and computer C use a ASP language in web based application development. WSP become as a client by defining a Web Description Language (WSDL) document [9]. Based on figure 3, first step 1 in WSP is receive query from web users either computer A, computer B or computer C. After that this will translate into a XML document. The most important component in XML is WSDL. A WSDL is description is an XML document that gives the information about a Web service such as its name, operations, and parameters for those operations, and the location of where to send requests. XML is a markup language that makes data portable, by proving a standard way of data-exchange. After translation a query to XML was done, WSP will communicate with biological data sources to search and retrieve the data. Suppose a computer A sends a query about “bone”. WSP will receive a query form computer A. Then, the WSP will search and retrieve data from biological data sources. After that, the WSP will send a result to computer A.

Application for WSP was develop using JAVA technology. This technology was choosing because of high performance in application development. This application was tested in order to analyze their performance for accessing heterogeneous biological data.

Experiment 1

Different web based applications with same platform (use same programming language in development) to access biological data from heterogeneous biological data sources.

Figure 4 shows interface for web service querying server. Web user will send a query to Query Server through WSP.

Figure 4: Interface for Web Service Querying Server.

Figure 5 shows interface for searching. Web user is needed to enter information to text field, etc. After that, user is needed to press button “submit”. Query server will receive a query from web user. Then, the query server will communicate with query server. The purpose of this communication is to know list of registered biological data sources before searching and retrieving process. After that, query server will search and retrieve data from the registered biological data sources. Finally, query server will send the results to web user through WSP.

Figure 5: Searching Interface.

Figure 6 shows interface after searching and retrieving process. The results will show to web user.

Figure 6: Interface after searching and retrieving process.

Experiment 2

Different web based applications with different platform (use different programming language in development) to access biological data from heterogeneous biological data sources.

Figure 7 shows interface for web user 1 which uses java programming language.

Figure 7: Searching Interface for Web User 1.

Figure 8 shows interface for web user 2 which uses PHP programming language.

Figure 8: Searching Interface for Web User 2.

Figure 9 shows interface for web user 3 which uses asp programming language.

Figure 9: Searching Interface for Web User 3.

Suppose all three web users entered reference number equal to “M3204”. Query server will receive a query from three web users through WSP. Steps for search and retrieve are same with experiment 1. The query server will communicate with register server. After get feedback from register server, the query server will search and retrieve data from biological data sources. Finally, the three web users with different programming language will get the result through WSP.

Based on experiment 1 and experiment 2, WSP can apply for accessing heterogeneous biological data sources. WSP also can support different platform web based application (use different programming language in development) to access heterogeneous biological data sources.

In this research, a Web Service Platform (WSP) for heterogeneous biological data sources was developed. The capability of WSP was tested by several experiments. In these experiments, biological data sources from different location were integrated and WSP was used as a platform for web based applications to access these data sources. XML is part of component in WSP was implemented in this research. XML is good approach for data exchange, data storage, etc. In this research, XML was used to search and retrieve data from heterogeneous biological data sources. Based on experiments was done in this research, XML was able to improve web query processing during searching and retrieving process especially involved with lot of biological data. In conclusion, WSP can help medical institutions, medical centers, education institutions, research institutions, etc to manage their biological data effectively and efficiently. Biological data is important for these institutions or centers especially to provide reports such as patient statistics, patient documentation, disease documentation, etc. Hopefully, this research can help these medical institutions or medical centers more proactive in managing their information system for biological data.

Special thanks are owned to my friend Che Mat Ismail for support and advice.