VO-CIV: A web service solution for sharing geo-scientific software

This technical report discusses the implementation of an asynchronous web service dedicated to providing access to scientific software-as-a-service. After presenting an overview of the possible technical solutions, we illustrate the technical implementation of the VO­CIV web service and present some preliminary testing applications. Selection of available technologies has been performed on the basis of ease of use for both the external users and the developers, favoring lightweight applications whenever possible. The web service is specifically targeted at geoscientific software, although its functionalities and the underlying technology can be used for any generic kind of software. The service allows for asynchronous execution of the software, providing the user with the possibility to request results of the elaboration after disconnecting and reconnecting later on to the server. Future developments are discussed in light of the potential standardization of this type of web services.