Platforms for Research on Interoperability and Security of Middleware Architectures – PRISMA

Activity Description

The group’s research focuses on the design, implementation, and validation of innovative IT platforms, advanced research infrastructures, smart application services, and digital technologies for the interoperability of heterogeneous, distributed, and large-scale information systems. The solutions developed aim to support complex contexts where ensuring access, sharing, analysis, reuse, and security of heterogeneous and dynamic digital data is essential.

The group’s methodological approach integrates expertise in Information Management, Data Interoperability, Big Data Analytics, Machine Learning, and Cybersecurity to address the challenges associated with the digital transformation of research and public services. Its activities are inspired by the FAIR principles, promoting open, responsible, and sustainable data management.

The main lines of activity include:

• Design, development, and testing of architectural models and middleware platforms, including in cloud environments, for the orchestration of advanced digital services.

• Definition of information and semantic models for the interoperable representation of heterogeneous data, supporting retrieval, knowledge management, and data discovery.

• Business process modeling for the integration of legacy systems and the development of digital ecosystems based on microservices and SOA architectures.

• Application of innovative techniques for cybersecurity, access management, privacy protection, and regulatory compliance, also through audits and risk analysis.

• Development of AI-based solutions and big data analytics for information extraction and classification, with the support of natural language processing models.

• Integration of AI models and approaches into complex processes and systems.

• Experimentation with decentralized architectures with blockchain and smart contracts for traceability, event certification, and transparent data management.

• Benchmarking and comparative analysis of digital ecosystems, products, and services, mapping the state of the art, studying best practices, and developing models for the transfer of innovative technologies such as quantum computing.

• Participation in technical standardization processes, particularly for healthcare IT, promoting the adoption of open standards.

• Management of digital infrastructures, HPC systems, information systems, software platforms, and IT services, ensuring their reliability, security, and continuous updating.

An area of strategic interest is the development of interoperability models for healthcare information systems at the national level, in line with European standards and with particular reference to the Electronic Health Record. The group collaborates with public institutions and stakeholders to contribute to the digital transformation of healthcare, the construction of a reliable data network, and the enhancement of healthcare information assets.

 Objectives

The group’s objective is to conduct research related to the development and adoption of complex IT systems through the design, management, and validation of innovative platforms, such as distributed middleware systems and interoperable and secure research infrastructures. Activities include defining methods for collecting, managing, processing, and understanding heterogeneous information, adopting cybersecurity measures, and integrating innovative artificial intelligence (AI) approaches. Research addresses complex challenges related to interoperability, integration, use, and explainability of AI models, and data protection, security, and exploitation in distributed, dynamic, and regulatory-heterogeneous ecosystems. Key areas of focus include: complex IT architectures; secure data exchange; cloud platforms; data center networks; information extraction and analysis using big data analytics approaches; and the integration of AI models into complex processes.

Application Fields

Digital Health, Urban Intelligence, Digital Social Sciences, Smart Factory

Collaborations

The group collaborates with numerous Public Administrations, Universities, Public Research Institutions, SMEs and large companies, healthcare organizations, standardization bodies at national and European level to carry out activities aimed at promoting research and digital innovation in multiple and significant application areas. These collaborations are substantiated through joint participation in research and development projects, the stipulation of collaboration or consultancy agreements, the creation of working groups.

In particular, the following are mentioned:

  • European Commission.
  • Agency for Digital Italy.
  • Department for Digital Transformation of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers of Italy.
  • Ministry of Health of Italy.
  • Ministry of Economy and Finance of Italy.
  • Regions of Italy.
  • Sogei.
  • University of Brighton.
  • University of Essex.
  • University of Naples “Federico II”.
  • University of Naples “Parthenope”.
  • University of Salerno.
  • University of Macerata.
  • University of Calabria.
  • University of Messina.
  • Fraunhofer Institute for Biomedical Engineering.
  • Foundation for Research and Technology – Hellas.
  • National Cancer Institute IRCCS G. Pascale.
  • Pineta Grande.
  • Synlab SDN.
  • Institute of Communication and Computer Systems.
  • eHealthNet scarl.
  • Projecto e Desenvolvimento Manutenção Formação e Consultadoria.
  • Privanova.
  • Sphynx Technology Solutions.
  • TUV Trust IT.
  • Engineering Ingegneria Informatica.
  • Gesan.
  • CID Software Studio.
  • Kelyon.
  • Sync Lab.
  • SA Documents.
  • HL7 Italy.
  • UNI – Italian National Unification Body.
  • UNINFO – UNI Federated Body for the standardization of “Information technologies and their applications”
  • Anglia Ruskin University – Cambridge – UK

 

Research products

The research products include scientific papers, technical research and/or project reports, software artifacts, appropriately configured instrumental resources.

  • The scientific papers describe the results obtained through the experimentation of new IT architectures and innovative analysis techniques and services: they are published in prestigious international and national journals and conference proceedings, indexed by the main citation databases, and available at the link https://www.icar.cnr.it/pubblicazioni/;
  • The institutional technical reports are published in the CNR ICAR series, available at the link https://intranet.icar.cnr.it/rapportitecnici. The project technical reports are released as deliverables to the funding bodies, respecting the relevant scientific reporting rules.

 

Among the numerous research products relating to software artifacts or technical standards, the following contributions are worth mentioning:

  • Medical Informatics – Architectural models for the development of integrated software applications for healthcare: technical standard produced through the coordination of the working group, published by the Italian National Unification Body (UNI), number UNI/TR 11794:2020, 30 July 2020. Link: https://store.uni.com/uni-tr-11794-2020.
  • Technical specifications for interoperability between regional Electronic Health Record systems: technical rules pursuant to Prime Ministerial Decree 178/2015 and subsequent amendments to ensure the exchange of digital health data and documents between regional and European health information systems, in compliance with international health IT standards and specifications (such as HL7 CDA, HL7 FHIR, IHE XDS) and with privacy and IT security regulations. Developed and maintained in collaboration with the competent Institutions. Validated through a test environment also used to support the regions and autonomous provinces in the development of interoperable regional Electronic Health Record solutions, as well as to support the Agency for Digital Italy and the Ministry of Health in monitoring the progress of projects through the use of appropriate indicators. Different versions of the specifications produced from 2017 to today. Link: https://www.fascicolosanitario.gov.it/en/guidelines-manuals-technical-reports.
  • OpenInFSE Components: software components developed in accordance with the specifications of the experimental technological infrastructure for interregional interoperability of the Electronic Health Record approved by the Electronic Health Table of the Regions and Autonomous Provinces and made available to all interested parties. Latest version of the components released in 2012. Link: https://infse.na.icar.cnr.it/index.php/componenti-openinfse/category/10-componenti-openinfse.
  • MITO – DICOM Viewer: Windows-based open source software system for advanced processing and visualization of digital medical images. Its main features are DICOM standard compliance, 2D/3D/S3D visualization, image segmentation and fusion, region of interest selection, advanced 3D user interface. Latest version produced in 2011. Link: https://sourceforge.net/projects/mito/.

 

Research infrastructures for the Open Science Cloud

As part of the PNRR FOSSR project, an advanced research infrastructure for the Open Social Science Cloud is being installed in four data centers located in as many CNR research Institutes. The main objective of the infrastructure is to facilitate access to social science data in a simpler, more transparent, and simplified way, through the maintenance and strengthening of the Italian nodes of a network of European-level research infrastructures (such as CESSDA-ERIC, SHARE-ERIC, and RISIS).

The node at CNR ICAR in Naples, consisting of 103 processing servers (CPU-nodes), 24 GPU servers (GPU-nodes), and over 1.5 PB of storage, will allow access to hardware and software resources for high-performance computing and big data storage through cloud computing technologies, allowing the research community to analyze and archive knowledge graphs for social sciences using advanced artificial intelligence algorithms and allowing the sharing of data, applications, and services with the research community, policy makers, and the general public.

In addition, also within the PNRR SoBigData.it project, a computing node is being built at the Naples site, in addition to a further node that integrates an edge/cloud computing and Internet of Things environment to support the study of Smart City and Industry 4.0 services in the joint laboratory between CNR ICAR and the University of Messina, at the Department of Engineering. The computing node being built at the CNR ICAR headquarter in Naples consists of 20 processing servers, 2 storage servers, and 5 servers for artificial intelligence, each configured with a latest-generation dual GPU, with over 566.4 TB of total storage, which will provide the scientific community with computing and storage capacity for the development and sharing of methods and datasets. The node being installed in Messina includes an additional GPU server, a cluster of 5 servers with ARM architecture, a series of devices for the creation of edge/cloud computing environments, drones, and robotic arms.

 

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