Second Progress Report

(second period: July 1^st 1999 - December 31^st 1999)

The activities of user requirement analysis and technology selection has been succesfully accomplished, an overall architecture has been well established; the definition of the details of the design of specific modules is started and is not accomplished for all.

The project suffered from the initial delay (as in the previous report) that has not been recovered despite the efforts of the partners also due to a carency of human resources that affected one of the partner (Neosis).

Anyhow some significant achievements can be listed:

- the adaptation of the EDI documents (EDIFACT 93a) for made to measure garments that will be proposed to the standardisation bodies;

- the innovative architecture for the high quality colour image management accepted as speech in an international conference on Internet Imaging;

- the CADCAM module already completed to create a customised cutting plan for the fabric and tested on the site of a pilot user;

- the database structure defined

- the user requirements and the overall architecture accomplished and approved by the partners in a general meeting in Munich

Detailed description of the activities

WP 1.1, coordination

A general meeting had place in Munich at the beginning of October in the AlFerano structures; during the meeting AlFerano presented its activities to the other partners. All the partners participated the meeting and explained their results and needs.

After the meeting a report (see reference A) has been produced with decision and the comments of all the partners.

The WEB site of Ishtar (http://server1.pisa.enea.it/ishtar) has been updated with new pages and updated information.

The harmonizing activities was pursued in the period, with a strong contribution to the production/circulation of documents and the planned scheduling has been adapted and reorganised to meet the evolution of the project (see references B and C).

WP 2.1, selection of technologies ()

This task has been successfully accomplished:

- technology for the measurement assistant has been chosen (reference E) and the Garment Model Based and the human Body Based assistants have been merged in a single module according with the requirement analysis that establishes that the checks to be performed are the same for both the process.

- The technology for the texture mapping module has been defined and a contract has been signed with the software house DGS to adapt the software ‘Portrait’ (reference D): a draft about the technical interface with the module has been defined (reference P) and the delivery of the module is scheduled for february 2000.

WP 2.2, adapting available technologies

This task has been accomplished, but further development and updates are introducing changes in the results (EDIFACT documents):

- the colour management system architecture has been defined (see reference F and G) and some test have been performed with the images of real fabrics in the laboratory of CNR-TIM. The approach for the management of faithful colours in the Ishtar system has become a paper in the conference "Internet Imaging", organised by the SPIE in the framework of ‘Electronic Imaging 2000, Science and Technology’, 23 to 28 January 2000, San Jose, California, USA

- a solution to use the present versions of the EDIFACT documents to express the made to measure exchange of information has been defined (see references H and I); nevertheless it is presently investigated a second solution based on a proposal of upgrade of the segment Orders of the EDIFACT D93a documents that could be more efficient but require that the EDIFACT workgroup accepts it.

- The adaptations of the 3D sizing machine have been defined together with the description of the needed measurements for the made to measure garments.

WP 2.3 customer and market requirements

This task has been successfully accomplished with a delay of about 5 months in respect of the scheduled dates:

- all the documents from the pilot users Coin, Hitman and AlFerano (see references J, K, L, M) have been collected and reorganised in a document that harmonise all the requirements (reference O)

- a specific activities has been the analysis of the process from the customer approch to the production of the garment that has been formalised in a document (reference N); a specific attention has been given to the comparison of the processes in the three channels of sales. As a result of this activities the document is a real common background for all the pilot users.

WP 2.4, System architecture and design

The delay of the WP 2.3 has had an effect on these activities started from september 1999. Only the detailed design of the catalogue and sizing system still is to be accomplished.

- the approach for safe transaction has been defined (reference P)

- the Body Measurement Assistant has been defined in terms of architecture and a stand alone prototype has been realised (see reference Q), the server version is under development.

- the process and the tools to manage the EDIFACT documents has been defined (see S, T)

- it has been designed the process to manage the body measurements from the 3D body scanner or from a human operator and to transform them in changes of the garment model ready for the CADCAM system (see V, Q).

- the scheme of the databases has been designed (see R) and a the design of the intercation of the human users with the catalogue and sizing modules has been outlined together with detailed descriptions about the user interfaces (see R and N).

WP 2.5 construction of the prototype to process the order

The activities regarding some CADCAM are near to be accomplished (testing are performed in the Hitman facilities); the activities dealing with the front end server for the EDI orders are near to start but suffer for the delay of the retailer side modules.

The module CADCAM of FITNET2 for the update of the cutting plan of the models from the absolute measurements has been accomplished and delivered to Hitman where it has been tested (see U and A), the results were presented at the meeting in Munich.

WP 2.6 construction of the prototype for the retailers

The workpackage suffers for a delay that may be estimated in 3 months.

While the activities regarding some modules, like Colour Management system, texture mapping, measurement assistant and order processing, has been undertaken, the activities related to the catalogue (detailed design of the catalogue and the development of its modules) suffer for a strong delay that will affect also the other modules.

In more detail:

- the activities dealing with the development of the catalogue modules are not started yet

- the final version of the body measurement assistant is under development

- about the colour management system the viewer applet has been developed while the calibration applet is under development;

- the acquisition of the fabrics has not still started because of some colours of thereal fabrics resulted unfaithful when scanned and CNR ITIM is looking for a solution to improve the faithfulness of the image

WP 2.7 Functional andIntegration tests

Anticipating the scheduled date, the CADCAM module has been functionally tested in Hitman.

WP 4.1 Training at pilot sites

Training about the CADCAM system has been performed involving Hitman's personnel.

WP 4.2 and 4.3 Trial activities and adaptations

AlFerano has prepared its web site for made to measure wear that will be the test site for the Ishtar concept.

COIN has defined its store of Rome as the test site for trial activities in shop.

Hitman, Coin and Alferano are establishing commercial basis for the trial and test sales of the project.

WP 5.1 Action to promote awareness

To create awareness about the technologies and the organisational changes involved by application, like Ishtar, covering the chain of actors from the supplier to the customers, the concept is being presented to PMI managers and technicians. As a first occasion it has been presented on October 6^th in a workshop ("MODA E INFORMATICA: L'ABITO VIRTUALE") organised in Carpi by the CITER, a regional center of services grouping about 400 PMI of the textile/clothing sector affering the textile district of Carpi (Italy).

In Portugal the project has been presented through press articles (newspaper "Expresso" and magazine "Valor").

Short report of the activities of the partners

ENEA

ENEA realised the coordination activities according to the workplan, with a specific attention to the harmonisation of the results. The web site supporting the project has been completed and is managed.

In the final activities of the WP 2.3 and the beginning of the WP 2.4 , a specific effort was made to harmonize the requirement and to outline a common architecture of the system responding to the needings of the different channels of sale: this produced an overall architecture that has been described in the final documents of the project (see E, G, N).

ENEA also partecipated technical meeting with partners about the sizing procedures and about the user interface of the system.

The activities of diffusion started with a first speech to present the Ishtar concept to the PMI of the district of Carpi (Modena, Italy).

Finally ENEA is co-operating with the institute CNR – Istituto per le Tecnologie Multimediali (ITIM) to realise the procedure for image acquisition of the image and to build the applet to calibrate the monitor and to view faithfully the colours of the fabric. The resulting innovative architecture for the high quality image management has been published in an international conference on Internet Imaging.

Alferano GmbH

Target: bring in user requirements and AlFerano experience for the implementation of the several "channels" of the innovative sales system and therewith contribute to the appropriate selection and implementation of technologies.

Project coordination work:

Full preparation and organisation of the two day Munich meeting in October 1999 for the Ishtar project partners.

Workpackage presentation, division of work and necessary steps to work out the relevant WP´s.

WP 2.3/2.6:

Coordination of activities concerning the WP.

Definition of user requirements for the Internet channel.

Design and test AlFerano´s pilot website.

Sum up requirements and finalization of WP document.

Design and install AF website for tailor made shirts as a test site for the Ishtar concept.

Check visual representation of products/garments via internet.

Collect experience in e-business with tailor made products.

Negotiate commercial agreement with project partners.

Cad Modelling

Human resources utilized

S. ANGOTTI, as manager and coordinator of all technical activities, both internal and external to the structure;

E. DUHAMEL, in the capacity of Senior Industrial Technical Pattern-maker and expert in Anthropometry Applied to Pattern-making ;

M. TOSATTO, in the capacity of translator and coordinator of the flow of technical and information system documentation among the internal operational structures and the external work teams (house software, R&D, University, etc.).

Executive activity and results

In the period mentioned we have obtained the combination and the setting up of the analysis activity aiming at realizing a software for the take and the control of absolute sizes.

The problem consisted in veryfing the perfect models integrability inside the final operative environment.

To partners having in the specific phase (at the moment Hitman and Coin) a special attention has been given to create as far as possible a univocal technical language and consequently a final idea of the user interface.

A BMA prototype (stand alone) has been first tried to verify the corretness of the general lines.

Such intermediate product was presented at the last meeting in Munich which rose the indispensable remarks of partners together with very useful suggestions for some further changes (see document enclosed and pictures).

Since then studies and steps have been going on necessary for the realization of Browser environment BMA, in particular in the program which will have to be realized by Neosis, the so-called Navigator.

That phase is still in process and should produce by the end of March a second prototype, integrated in the Navigator.

In the meantime the automatic system of SCANFIT®, anthropometric survey, has been studied, analysed and updated together with the setting up of the anthropometric identification algorythms.

At the beginning of Februar it will be possible for the partners to make a specific demonstration on that system which represents a part of the BMA.

It is to emphasize that both the realization of the first software prototype presented in Munich and the successive study for the integrability in the Browser environment BMA together with setting up’s phases of the SCANFIT system (software and hardware) are led by CAD MODELLING jointly with third, technological partners of the society that will be at the end of the committed works.

COIN

2.4.3

2.4.7

Customer DB

Customer specification and functional aspects from Retailer point of view

DB design and documentation

Customer’s data filtering: what could be send to supplier

15-10-1999

2.4.1

2.4.7

Order Flow

Description of all aspects regarding exchange of information between Retailer and Supplier.

Functional Blocks that describe the flow of info for all main and detailed aspects.

Fabric maintenance

- fabric availability verification and fabric visibility setting

- fabric reservation and de-reservation

- fabric block and un-block

- cleaning activity about suspended operation – suspended operation analysis

- update of fabric availability

Design and description of all Tables and DB useful for Fabric and Order management.

Order Construction and Transmission

Definition of Order exchange and logics between Retailer and Supplier

Design of Flat file to be send to Supplier

Order Number and other important Items: definitions and logics

Freezing action about Orders

EDI transformation and annex: aspect that involves Orders

Order DB: description, design, important items, management

Order flow verification – Order posted – Order taken

Order LOG analysis

Order confirmation: print of results

Order DB: statistical analysis

13-12-1999

2.4.1

2.4.3

Review of Measurement blocks whit Hitman

Measurements process: design of walk through logics around windows that drives the measurement process

Revision and Collaboration about Measurement’s process and rules defined by Hitman and CadModeling

29-11-1999

2.4.3

2.5.5

Garments

Design and description of DB and all Tables to be used for Garments’ maintenance.

Service Tables .

Gathering and Browsing of Garments

Activity whit Hitman

16-11-199

2.4.3

EDI transformation

How approach this new problem.

Search of better EDI transformation segments

In deep analysis of segments – subsegments – components

Definition of coding rules for Garments measures in EDI

07-12-1999

2.4.1

2.4.9

Measures

Coding of all measures that can be used in a “made to measures” Garment production process.

26-11-1999

2.4.7

Rendering Software

Revision of logics and boundary of the New Software to be developed for remote Rendering Operation using Internet connections.

22-12-1999

------------

Project Activity

Documents Preparation and Participation to Munich Meeting

14-10-1999

HITMAN

Task, description and date of conclusion.

2.4.7 Sup. design retailer side of the order system (whit COIN) 31/10/99

See document segmentation order sent from Coin

2.4.8 Sup. desigm supplier’s order and IMS changes 30/11/99

(internal meeting in hitman whit production personal )

2.4.9 Creation document to clarify “PROCESS OF METHOD 05/12/99

AND COLLECTION MEASURES”

See document AD024-003-block-ben3

2.5.4 Installation in HITMAN FITNET 2 Software 09/09/99

Trial some garments whit absolute measures

Initial study of communication data between site

Shop and supplier side

2.5.5 Sup development supplier order’s

(at present as internal discussion and trial ) 15/10/99

See document “Ish Segmentation and details schemi “

Sent from COIN .

4.1.3 Training for CAD/CAM after installation FITNET2 30/09/99

4.1.5 Training for productive personnel 15/12/99 Internal meeting to prepare product activity in order to

obtain the requested delivery .

Lectra

During this period, Lectra système has finished off developpments on the BodyFit software. The new FitNet version is finishing.

Installation of this two softwares by HitMan society has allowed to test and validate their fonctionnalities in apparel. Regarding FitNet exploitation and HitMan’s demandings, studies are still in progress relating Gradation/Conformation/Statura and measures/measurements charts.

The main stages of the past 6 months :

- Creation of an « installation package» for softwares installation by HitMan.

- Staff training to this two new softwares (September 1999).

- Follow and adapt this softwares with HitMan’s demandings.

- Studies are in progress regarding made to meausre orders input and execution of them (alterated model and nesting).

Neosis

ISHTAR meeting in Munich (Germany) – 14/10/1999 to 15/10/1999

Implementation of the prototype development

This prototype (without graphic design compliant to the project) was developed in order to develop project functionalities (mainly the database test) and related testes. This prototype graphic will be modified soon.

Graphical line planning

The guidelines for the graphic design line were elaborated and discussed with the designers. The accomplishment of this graphic line will only be possible when the databases are tested and inserted in the prototype.

Preparation and design and configuration of the customer database

The analysis and drawing of the clients database was started in November, and as come to a stop when the technician that was responsible for this left Neosis. Even though, 60% of this analysis was made during 1999.

Preparation and design and configuration of the measurements database

The measures database is related with the clients database. Also, its analysis and drawing was started in November and as suffered from the same problems, but some work as been done.

Preparation and design and configuration of the articles database

This database is also related with the previous databases, even if its connection is more indirect. The previous analysis was done, even if it wasn’t possible to do it’s drawing.