by Neki Frasheri
The first Web applications in Albania are part of the framework COPERNICUS Programme, having as an objective the promotion of economic exchanges between participating countries. Html databases are created to disseminate through the Internet information about SMEs in each country, their profiles, requests and offers. The work is continuing to implement a fully distributed brokerage system for this purpose.
For many years Albania developed its computer know-how on proprietary platforms, mainly BULL technology. The openning of Albania in the last years together with economic difficulties "knocked out" the isolated MAN created in Tirana in 1985 by UNDP. Meantime academic and R&D institutions began to be involved in European projects such as TEMPUS and COPERNICUS and thus having the possibility to develop Unix and TCP/IP based local infrastructure and know-how. Unfortuntely these developments are constrained by the lack of the permanent connectivity with the Internet.
The Institute of Informatics and Applied Mathematics (INIMA) was involved in two COPERNICUS projects. The first one called ETCETERA (East-West Technical Cooperation in Research and Development of Electronic Trading) had the objective to create Internet services to promote west-east commerce and other economic exchanges. In the framework of ETCETERA the analysis of the market and of local SMEs was carried out and the "kernel" of a Web database was created. Iincluded in this Web database is a hierarchy of SMEs and descriptions of the principal ones. The topology of the web is designed to make possible future extensions especially in market publicity and tele-training domains. Because of the lack of Internet connectivity, a version of the database is stored at http://www.saritel.it/
The second project, HANNIBAL (HyperAgent Network and Navigation for Implementing Business Acceleration and Liaison) aimed to develop at higher levels the results achieved in ETCETERA. In HANNIBAL the html technology is used to create the user interface with the database. A new survey on SME needs was carried out to define the structure and technology for the database. The design of a brokerage system is defined as the next step. Both Internet and dbms technologies are considered for the brokerage system, the second one with some reservations because of the high cost of implemention on Unix platforms.
Partners: OCTACON (UK), SARITEL (IT), ICCS (BG), AEIIE (PL), SINTA (RO), INIMA (AL).
More information can be found at: http://www.octacon.co.uk/ and http://www.saritel.it/
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