Two of the Prototype’s design goals — make it easy for users to sign-in to access applications and where necessary, allow data to be shared between applications — required an integration approach to design and implementation. To keep development as simple as possible, each application made use of the common sign-in and access control system provided by gBIZ. This integration allowed users to use a single username and password to access the Prototype and its applications while reducing the amount of software that had to be developed. This made the development process more manageable within the project resource constraints.

In keeping with the project’s aim to simulate a real environment for local governments and state agencies, the Prototype applications were not all developed by the same corporate partner or based on exactly the same suite of technologies. CGI and Keane Inc. used different environments to develop their respective applications, but specifications for integration were shared among the development teams to ensure smooth integration when all the applications were completed. CGI designed and developed their applications on the gBIZ framework built on the Microsoft .NET 1.0 whereas Keane used the Microsoft .NET 1.0 environment directly to develop the Dog Licensing Application, but did not use the gBIZ framework. After completion of the Dog Licensing Application, Keane integrated it into the gBIZ framework.

The Contact Repository Application, which managed contact information and made it available to all prototype users through a Contact Directory allowed some users to search and view contact information while others had rights to change and manage the information. This required that data be shared between the Contact Repository Application and the accompanying Contact Directory. This was accomplished by developing both applications to access the same database. The sharing of the same database was a simple way to integrate the applications made possible because both applications were hosted on the same server with direct connectivity to the database system.

These two approaches to application integration worked well within the scope of the Prototype. In the development of a production level State-Local Gateway there would be a different set of constraints that affect the integration techniques and technologies used. The Prototype integration was also simplified by the fact that all software development teams used a common web application infrastructure of .NET, SQL Server 2000 and Windows 2000 Server.

The use of a single web application architecture may not be available in a production level State-Local Gateway. Applications may be developed by different companies with expertise in deploying different architectures. Preparing to develop a production level State-Local Gateway will require developing an integration architecture that defines how applications from different vendors and sources can be integrated into a State-Local Gateway.