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FreeGate - Overview
"FreeGate is an open source project that intends to provide a sophisticated EAI solution which is comparable to proprietary EAI solutions and even excels them"
Nowadays companies and organizations implicate an IT-infrastructure that involves a multiplicity of different subsystems. These subsystems serve common tasks like accounting, enterprise resource planning or human resource management. In addition to these common systems there is a number of subsystems that is specialized to the needs of the company’s core business. The systems itself may be independent, but in order to avoid redundancy, the data stored within these systems has to be exchanged.
FreeGate is an application to create a technically advanced, easy to use integration system with professional support and high scalability. This system will provide the possibility to integrate common systems like FTP, databases or web technologies as well as domain specific systems and protocols like HL7 or DICOM in the healthcare sector.
The goal of this project is not to reinvent the wheel but to use an existing and already proven open source EAI system, eliminate the remaining drawbacks and make it ready for professional use.
FreeGate is based on an open source EAI system called Mule. The drawbacks of this technically very mature system mainly consist of lacking usability and missing connectivity and protocols for domain specific systems. FreeGate compensates these issues and provides an adequate, free of charge system to small and medium enterprises.
Technology
FreeGate is completely written in Java and uses XML as the internal document format. Mule is used as ESB (Enterprise Service Bus) backend as it has been evaluated as the most mature. Even though Mule is already a sophisticated software, it still has some gaps in its range of functionalities and protocols especially for the healthcare sector. In addition the usability could be improved, as it does not provide a graphical user interface. Especially writing a configuration file for Mule can therefore become very complex. (see backend for more information about Mule).
Project Background
SANTEC has launched the FreeGate project to address the need expressed by local healthcare providers for a simple to use, cost effective EAI system. SANTEC has been directly involved in helping local hospitals evaluate their current EAI requirements. In September of 2006, the CRP Henri Tudor - in partnership with the University of Applied Sciences Trier - published a market survey of all relevant EAI open source software systems. As a result of this study, a "best of class" open source software platform was chosen for enhancement.SANTEC is now in the process of applying original research in order to enhance the usability of this software platform and extend its functionalities towards the needs of the healthcare sector.
Current Status
Directed by information obtained in the market survey, SANTEC is now engaged in analysing current open source marketing trends and creating a relevant business development model. A highly innovative GUI (Graphical User Interface) is currently being developed and integration of the healthcare industry protocol HL7 V.2X is on the way. As the CRP Henri Tudor believes firmly in the support of FOSS solutions, project team members are currently contacting both healthcare providers and FOSS software organisations in order to build a community by which this software will be developed.
Functionalities
FreeGate already provides a set of very useful modules and there are others in planning and development
Screenshots
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| Schema Configurator | Message Container | Message Mapper |
Partner Profiles
Beta Sites
Project FreeGate is currently targeting healthcare providers who wish to evaluate or replace their current EAI systems. Future plans may include exploring the use of this EAI platform for other industries (i. e. Finance). If you are a healthcare institution or are interested in supporting the development of an open source EAI technology please do not hesitate to contact us.
Development partners
Service companies who participate in the financing of the development or actively participate in the development of the FreeGate system. These partners will provide added services like support, training or customizing for the resulting product.
Downloads
- Market survey about open source EAI systems
- Self running Flash tutorials
- FreeGate Alpha Developer Version (coming soon)
Contact
CRP Henri Tudor
Dpt. SANTEC
Mr. Ortwin Donak
Luxembourg