MINERVA

Prolog in Java. e-Commerce, e-Government, Knowledge Management, Help Desks, Expert Advice, Infomediation, Case Based Reasoning, Resource Allocation, Web hosted services, Web Brokers, Intelligent Agents.

When evaluation, simulation, advice, consulting is central to your business mission, whenever you want to provide services, not just data, through internet browsers, MINERVA is the tool for you.

ISO-13211-1 Prolog compiler and executive hosted in Java, MINERVA is a commercial programming system for large private or public intelligent client-server applications on the internet.

Life Insurance Consulting Application Example

MINERVA is the core technology of the Software Infrastructure for Global Strategic Information Systems by IF Computer.

MINERVA exploits Internet and World Wide Web technologies to implement truly distributed solutions; data and programs are used on the local machine.

In contrast to Java, MINERVA is declarative and high level. It includes a memory based database, search facilities, and pattern matching, all needed for intelligent interactive cooperating applications.

MINERVA is specifically designed for compute-intensive intelligent tasks like consulting and custom design. Solutions based on MINERVA thus allow not only mail-order type mass merchandising, but also highly individualized interaction like tax advice and life insurance simulation. MINERVA allows to project headquarter expertise right into the clients internet browser. Interaction is handled on the client machine, so response times do not suffer from internet access delays.

Consider as example the process of purchasing (view from the client side) or selling (view from the server side) a modern life insurance policy: a fairly complex financial product possibly individually configured according to the client's requirements, medical history, legal constraints, financial market details, and the marketing strategy of the specific life insurer with respect to its direct and indirect competitors: the rules are known by the life insurer but the bulk of the data needed to formulate a competitive offer and to evaluate the offer with respect to desired properties is only available at the client side.

This simple example illustrates major commercial advantages of MINERVA:

- reduced server load

Even highly interactive and computationally intensive consulting and simulation tasks are handled locally by the client machine, greatly reducing required network bandwidth and computing resources. Delegating the computing load to the client allows to serve very large user groups with reasonable server resources and thus greatly reduces the cost for large systems.

- reduced network traffic

Since interaction is local there is no need to transmit data to and from the server simply to maintain an interactive application user interface. This greatly reduces network traffic both on the clients' local network and on the servers internet link.

- privacy protection

Client side data can be used for interactive simulation of "what-if" scenarios without compromising user privacy - consider a tax advice server run by your government. MINERVA provides server side knowledge to the client machine in executable but binary form: e.g. product information is individually accessible to potential customers but not globally downloadable by your competitor.

- internet security

MINERVA allows to embed encryption/decryption facilities on the client side for secure data transport, e.g. to do credit card processing over public networks. The MINERVA applications are all transmitted in compiled, virtually impenetrable binary form.

- highly scalable system architecture

MINERVA uses Internet technology; scaling systems from a prototype with a single client to a global server with potentially millions of users does not require any changes to the software, neither on the client nor on the server side.

- no client side system administration

Internet connectivity is one of the most popular uses of PCs in todays households, educational institutions and commercial businesses. Your MINERVA based client/server application can use these resources without any administrative effort reqired on your part. Your customer need not buy any additional equipment or software.

- based on standards

MINERVA uses well understood and proven technologies. The implementation is founded in sound software engineering and international standards. Using MINERVA is exploiting a clever combination of seasoned methods.

- wide interoperability

MINERVA is implemented in Java and executable stand-alone and/or over private or public networks. Clients only require an internet or intranet connection and a Java-enabled internet browser. All these components are today available as off-the shelf products for PCs, workstations, Macintoshes and are expected to be incorporated into mass produced personal devices including game machines, TV sets and productivity tools.

- backed by IF Computer

We are independent international supplier of advanced commercial infrastructure software since 1982. Specializing in software for knowledge based and other strategic systems, our software is in use across a wide spectrum of industries including automotive, chemical, government services, civil engineering, securities and telecommunications.

We are now observing the World Wide Web in its transition from static, canned contents -pre-written HTML pages- into a responsive and interactive medium, useful for all kinds of social, governmental and corporate communications.

At the same time, "The Web" is growing at a mind-boggling rate, becoming accessible and used for very practical purposes by a wide variety of demographic groups.

We are realizing that we have now an environment where everybody has access to all existing information. The competitive edge is not in the data any more: it is in the right ways to judge and select data for a given purpose.

MINERVA leverages your Strategic Information Systems into the global internet: MINERVA helps you to provide better service.

Used as hardware and OS independent Platform Technology for Internet based Engineering Groupware, MINERVA allows to build completely scalable interactive and interoperational applications.

MINERVA is a declarative language that inherits and combines the advantages of Java and Prolog, resulting in a very practical tool. MINERVA is implemented in Java and provides the core functionality of ISO/IEC 13211-1.

For more information on MINERVA mail to info@ifcomputer.com

Overview
Showcase
Licensing
Web Shop
Download
Example Programs
Manual
FAQ
Other Resources

Up read on...