• Building on the work done in WP3 and on the previous design and implementation work for the LATS 2001 project in London, to establish designs and implementation criteria for supporting modelling within statistical databases.

• To undertake the implementation of the database and metadata software in support of WP7 and the applications in WP8 and WP9.

Note that this implementation has to be done in the context of the pilot applications in London and Zurich, (within WP8 and WP9) but we will also investigate whether it is possible to do an implementation in a standard generic environment. The former will be sufficient for supporting work packages 7, 8 and 9, but the latter would be more valuable in that it would be more easily transferred (and extended) for other domains. The database environment plus the modelling software would provide a more general-purpose modelling environment. However, we are well aware that producing general-purpose facilities is very difficult, so, given the time and resources allocated to this work package, we will only attempt this generalisation if a particularly straightforward solution presents itself.

The work programme will consist of two inter-related activities.

First, extensions to the existing object model developed for the LATS 2001 project in London to be more generic and to provide support for and an interface to a separate modelling component. This will include enhancement of the LATS model to provide the metadata extensions developed in WP3, and design of suitable functionality (including interfaces) to support modelling. This will be done in a more generic way, so that the model is applicable more widely than just in the LATS 2001 (or even transport in general) context

Second, the design and implementation of a test database environment to support the modelling software to be developed by WP7. This implementation has to be done in the LATS 2001 project for London, but this will also include study of whether it is possible to do the implementation in a standard generic environment.

Deliverables from this work package are available to User Forum members