I-X is a new systems integration architecture. Its design is based on the O-Plan agent architecture. I-X provides an issue-handling workflow style of architecture, with reasoning and functional capabilities provided as plug-ins. Also via plug-ins it allows for sophisticated management of the internal model representations. I-X agents may be recursively or fractally composed, and may interwork with other processing cells or architectures.
The I-Technology programme has 5 aspects: Systems Integration - A broad vision of an open architecture for the creation of intelligent systems based on a workflow process controller which uses plug-ins to handle "issues" and to manage the model of the product.
Representation - a core notion of the representation of a product as a
set of nodes making up the components of the product model, along with
constraints on the relationship between those nodes and a set of
outstanding issues -
Reasoning - the provision of reusable reasoning and model management capabilities.
User Interfaces - to understand user roles in performing activities and to provide generic modules which present the state of the process they are engaged in, their relationships to others and the status of the artifacts/products they are working with.
Applications - work in various application sectors which will seek to create generic approaches (I-Tools) for the various types of Task in which users may engage.