9.3.1. Baseline

The VIF basis was a Drupal-based platform designed and developed by Atos, named PGI, which is a Spanish acronym for Plataforma de Gestión de Ideas, or idea management platform. During the first year of the project, the development team decided to drop the current baseline. The reasoning for this cumbersome decision was:

• – the current platform was not flexible enough to be adapted to the changes happening in the ICT world;
• – its technology offered no improvement against current trends and functionalities;
• – it lacked backward compatibility, as it could not work with input generated by an older product or technology. Previous versions of the same platform produced several more problems than benefits when updating to newer versions;
• – as an ICT project, the team felt that there was a need to research some of the new emerging technologies and apply them to the project. In this particular case, web-based applications in real time;
• – to apply technologies, which are as homogenous as possible. Homogeneity in technologies leads to lesser resource requirements for their development. This is especially important for SMEs;
• – last but not least, the restless minds of the development team that are in a continuous search for the next big hit, in this case, the next best framework.

9.3.2. Technology change

The trend in web applications has changed a lot in the last few years: from Java to Python and Ruby. However, PHP has always been the favorite option for web developers. In recent years, an old but renewed technology has arisen as an alternative to all of them: JavaScript.

The reasons for choosing JavaScript are:

• – it is freely available. JavaScript is arguably the most open programming language. There is ECMA-262 [ECM 11], its specification is an ISO standard. This specification is closely followed by many implementations from independent parties. Some of those implementations are open source. Furthermore, the evolution of the language is handled by TC39 [ECM 12], a committee comprising several companies, including all major browser vendors;
• – JavaScript can be used for the user interface and, nowadays, also for backend processes due to technologies such as Node.js;
• – in the area of graphical user interfaces, JavaScript benefits from being part of HTML5 [W3C 14]. HTML5 is deployed widely and making constant progress. It is slowly becoming a complete layer for writing full-featured, cross-platform applications. Thereby, the Java platform is almost like an embedded operating system. One of the HTML5’s selling points is that it lets you write cross-platform graphical user interfaces. In the past, “crossplatform” meant Windows, Mac OS or Linux. But now, there are two additional interactive platforms: web and mobile;
• – apart from the user interface, JavaScript is used for:
  • - Libraries. JavaScript has an abundance of libraries, which enable us to complete tasks. From processing and displaying PDF files (via PDF.js) to displaying vector graphics,
  • - Backend. The Node.js platform allows developers to write server-side code and shell scripts (build tools, test runners, etc.),
  • - JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) [ECM 13]. JSON is a data format rooted in JavaScript that has become popular for exchanging data on the Web, i.e. the results of web services,
  • - NoSQL databases (such as CouchDB and MongoDB) [DBE 13]. These databases tightly integrate JSON and JavaScript.
• – JavaScript has lots of tools and is getting better building tools (e.g. Gulp) and testing tools (e.g. mocha). Node.js makes it possible to run these kinds of tools via a shell (and not only in the browser). One risk in this area is fragmentation, as there are progressively too many of these tools developed;
• – JavaScript is fast. JavaScript engines have made tremendous progress, evolving from slow interpreters to fast just-in-time compilers. They are now fast enough for most applications. Furthermore, new ideas are already in development to make JavaScript fast enough for the remaining applications.

Given those arguments, JavaScript is doing remarkably well. It is certainly not perfect but, at the moment, it is hard to beat – and things are only getting better.

9.3.4. A more technical overview of the selected framework: Meteor

Meteor works with existing front-end libraries (i.e. React, Angular, Famo.us), and its own front-end library – Blaze – is perfectly integrated into the framework and fulfills the same purpose as Angular, Backbone, Ember, React, Polymer or Knockout, but is much easier to use (and can be used with any of these libraries if you have to). Meteor works with existing back-end via REST APIs if needed, but is better when using DDP [GIT 14] (a clientserver protocol for querying and updating a server-side database and for synchronizing such updates among clients. It uses the publish-subscribe messaging pattern), a simple and powerful publish/subscribe protocol. The server side runs on top of Node.js and eliminates call-back problems by using fibers [RAM 12]. The underlying database is MongoDB. Meteor includes real time and highly efficient monitoring for changes to data via oplog tailing. It monitors MongoDB’s oplog to avoid extra operations on the database. This significantly reduces the number of queries needed to obtain the freshest changes to the MongoDB.

Meteor has two types of servers, as shown in Figure 9.1. One for HTTP and another for DDP:

• – the HTTP server is used to serve static files and HTTP requests. Meteor uses the connect Node.js module for this purpose;
• – the DDP server handles all publications, MongoDB operations and Meteor methods. Meteor uses SockJS as the transport protocol. The DDP server is a SockJS server customized for Meteor.

Meteor is built on top of the MongoDB – which is not a real-time database – but Meteor is real time. Meteor makes MongoDB real time using two techniques:

• – polling MongoDB every 10 s;
• – using MongoDB oplog [MET 14].

Polling is a very expensive operation and this is why Meteor includes another option (using oplog). It needs some additional setup which is not possible with shared MongoDB hosting services and, therefore, it is not used for the prototypes since the amount of data handled does not require this, but is a starting point for possible future developments.

The integration of Meteor and the architecture of the VIF are shown in Figure 9.2. To summarize, there is one central access point (1) which is the main UI. The database (2) can be stored in a cloud-based provider as it is now and offers, if needed, direct access to the data through REST APIs (3). The VIF can use third-party APIs (4) such as Disqus for the comment system but using our data stores. Finally, VIF components (5) are designed to run as standalone applications and also integrated with the main UI (1) using REST-based services or shared database access. The latter is the approach followed in this project.

Finally, and to better understand where those technologies were applied, Figure 9.3 explains the technology-based VIF structure. The technology stack is based on current standards or W3C recommendations and has reduced its complexity during the project. The list of technologies used can be reduced to HTML, Javascript, CSS and MongoDB.

9.3.5. Components

Based on the described technologies, the BIVEE project has developed the VIF. The VIF is built based upon some individual components. These components are shown in Figure 9.4. Some of them have been developed within the BIVEE project and some others have not yet been developed due to time restrictions, but are meant to be developed in the future.

The next sections describe in detail the key components of the VIF. Some of the components present in Figure 9.4 are merely concepts and yet to be finalized and polished before they become part of the future VIF.

9.3.6. The main VIF application

The VIF main application is the central point, where all the resources provided for the innovation process are accessed. Its main functionalities are:

• – idea gathering and fostering;
• – innovation project creation and follow-up;
• – access to collaborative tools.

As described before, creativity starts with an idea that may address an issue. It can, of course, be an idea that is totally not related to an issue and be something new. At the time of idea creation, the owner of the idea – its creator – can invite other members of the platform to work together on it with the objective to create a better idea. Since inspiration can arrive at any time anywhere, the VIF is designed to work on any device using responsive design, which means that the application user interface will be adapted to the device that it is been displayed on. This includes not only desktop browsers, but also mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets. Once the idea is fulfilled, it needs to be annotated in order to provide knowledge to the central knowledge repository (the PIKR) and to find possible related contents or duplicates.

The final step is to submit the idea to the domain experts, a role defined in the BIVEE platform. These members will evaluate the idea, comment on it and provide an answer whether the idea is accepted or rejected.

If the idea is rejected, the members of the idea will be notified and are then required to decide if the idea will be refined to be submitted again, or not. However, if the idea is accepted, a new innovation project is created with, at least, the domain expert as the leader of the project and with the idea owner – collaborators on the idea can also be selected to be added.

Once the innovation project is created, more members can be added. They can be different to the ones contributing to the idea creation – to the project based on their skills. Finally, when everything is set up, the project can start.

The project is managed internally with a component designed specifically for BIVEE: the wave engine. It handles the lifecycle of the project open and closing the so-called gates – key points where a decision to transit to a different wave has to be taken. To support this decision, the VIF, in collaboration with other BIVEE components, records metrics (KPIs).

When the project is finished, the full set of documents is exposed so the production space can apply the innovation.

9.3.7. Fostering creativity

One of the aspects of the BIVEE project is its human-centric approach. Therefore, the project is aware that creativity should be promoted and cannot be expected to flourish by itself.

In the pursuit of this goal, the VIF has been equipped with tools that can encourage its users to engage in active participation. Some of them were left on a theoretical level, and others were developed. The two proposed tools were the VIF game & price and the Call4Ideas.

The first tool was partially developed with the intention to provide the members of the platform with a game (gamification²), where they could invest their BIVEE coins on ideas and innovation projects, in order to create a stock-trade-like game. Depending on the results of their investments, their enterprises in the platform would offer prices in many ways – physical prices, additional time, etc.

The Call4Ideas is a typical approach to collect ideas. The calls are always linked to a topic or an issue and can be created in two ways: as a single call, with the intention to participate in an innovation project and be a part of it and its possible outcomes; the other is a challenge with defined prices where users send their ideas and the selected ones will receive a price, but they cannot be a member of the innovation project.

9.3.8. Collaborative tools

Finally, since the VIF is a real-time web-based application, some collaborative tools are provided. Although some of these tools were declared as out of scope, two tools were provided: the meeting room and the collaborative document editor. Both have been integrated into a single tool.

The meeting room allows the members of the platform to have real-time video conferences and to collaborate in documents having declared an agenda in advance, open issues and to take private notes. Screenshots of the meeting room tool are provided in Figures 9.9–9.11.

9.3.9. The innovation observatory

The innovation observatory is the place to follow trends. It is divided into two main components:

• – the backend process to filter the web based on the provided ontologies. Its results are stored in the VIF database;
• – the frontend application to show latest results and to filter those results based on the user queries, and to launch ideas based on filtered elements.

The innovation observatory offers the possibility of following some social networks to create a wall, where all the results are offered and can be analyzed in a more visual way. This component is shill under development, but some results are already shown.

9.3.10. The semantic shared whiteboard

The evolution of this key component has changed from a central tool to a more collaborative-oriented tool.

This semantic shared whiteboard allows the users to create a collaborative and real-time-based whiteboard to add notes, documents, links, etc. Again, this tool is intended to provide visual feedback, which produces better results rather than reading lots of texts.