NetUnion, based in Lausanne, is a company started in 1996 by a multi-national team of business consultants and engineers. The company is providing IT consulting, software development and systems integration services in the area of e-health, security and trust, and e-business. The company is mainly focused on the development of lifestyle improvement and e-health applications.

Our strategy is to offer technical innovations for anytime / anywhere delivery of new business and service models. The company maintains a sustained level of technology monitoring activities, in order to offer our clients a range of technology options and solutions. This strategy is supported by our regular participation in European Research and Technology Development projects, where we position ourselves as a catalyst for transforming leading edge research into practical applications.

NetUnion has established a successful track record as technical coordinator of the FP5 project SALUT, and brings expertise in developing tools for clinical research validation and data collection, implementation of multilingual e-health/e-learning platforms, conducting user requirements analysis, developing privacy and security policies, coordinating user-trials, dissemination and training activities.

Skills:

• Java and XML technologies: J2SE, J2EE, J2ME, Java WSDP, P3P, XML-Signature, SVG
  
  
• Databases: PostgreSQL, SQLServer 2000, MySQL
  
  
• Web application development: JSP/Servlets, ColdFusion, PHP
  
  
• Open source Web application environments: Linux, Apache, Tomcat, PostgreSQL
  
  
• Cryptographic libraries: OpenSSL, JCE/Bouncy Castle Crypto APIs
  
  
• Application of security requirements specification methodologies: extensions to UML (security-enriched use cases, SRL macros), MSC/HMSC
  
  
• Linux solutions and management for servers in heterogeneous network environments and embedded systems
  
  

Experience:

• Modular multi-lingual e-health/e-learning platform
  
  
• Tools for supporting clinical research validation and data collection (Multi-lingual XML-based questionnaires)
  
  
• Developing privacy and security policies (based on EU Directives 95/46/EC, 97/66/EC, and 2002/58/EC on data protection and privacy) and “P3P-enabling” Web sites and applications
  
  
• Compliance with ethical guidelines for online health-related information (HONcode accreditation)
  
  
• WAP application development in JSP, usability investigations for mobile health applications
  
  
• Member of the Swiss IPv6 Task Force
  
  
• Specification of security requirements in distributed applications and services, e.g. for agent-based TTP services and online contracting processes.
  
  
• Modular e-service delivery platforms integrating Trusted Third Party services and online contracting prototypes

Research & involvement in EU projects:

• SALUT (Intelligent Environment for Diagnosis, Treatment, and Prevention of Eating Disorders): leverages advances in information and telecommunications technologies to design, prototype and evaluate innovative Web-based and mobile applications for the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of eating disorders. Within this project, we have developed a Web-based multi-lingual platform for the delivery of self-help programs and, based on this platform, a self-help guide for the treatment of Bulimia Nervosa.
  
  
• Active-Health (Active Environment for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention): is a FP5 cluster project seeking to create a collaborative environment in Health Promotion and Disease Prevention. The project focuses on improving medical and business approaches, the generation of trust and confidence for online medical data, the support of interoperability and portability. Legal, ethical and cultural issues are also investigated. It generates a framework to guide the development of IT applications for HPDP.
  
  
• CASENET (Computer-Aided solutions to SEcure electroNic commercE Transactions): the objectives are to develop and implement a tool-supported framework for systematic specification, design, and analysis of ecommerce and e-government transactions to produce protocols with proven security properties, and to assist in code generation for these protocols.
  
  
• Agentcities.NET: TrustFoundry.Lausanne is a small project within the AgentCities.NET project aiming at offering Trusted Third Party services connected to a global network of agent platforms.

Contact/collaboration details with local organization:

The company intends to collaborate with two Swiss associations: the SRIHV (Informatics Service for Visual Impaired for the Canton Vaud) and the UCBA (Swiss Union for welfare of visually impair), which is a Swiss association regrouping about 50 organizations working with visually impaired and blind people in Switzerland (SRIHV is one of these). These organizations will help provide user specifications, and feedbacks to the ENABLED project. They will be instrumental in the user training and evaluation activities within Switzerland.

Key Personnel:

• Tony Lam (Director), he is the founder and majority shareholder of NetUnion. Since 1996, he has directed the company’s drive towards the development of leading edge technology and services in the e-health and esecurity. Previously, he was with General Manager of Rhone Poulenc Agrochemical (now Aventis CorpSciences) activities in China, and was responsible for establishing regional offices in 5 provinces. He has an undergraduate degree from the University of California at Berkeley and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the Ecole des Hautes Etudes Commerciales (HEC School of Management) Paris, France. Principle languages are English, French, Cantonese, and Mandarin. Within ENABLED, Mr. Lam will oversee project management, user requirements, trials and training coordination.
  
  
• Mickael Cappozzo (Project Engineer), he was responsible for developing an XML based multi-lingual module enabling a rapid deployment of multi-lingual program content and interface of our e-health content delivery. Mickael has strong programming (especially Java) and database development experience and is currently monitoring our participation in the FP5 e-health cluster: in Health Promotion and Disease Prevention cluster project (ActiveHealth) and in SALUT project. He is also monitoring developments in upcoming health and bioinformatics applications in GRID technology. He graduated with a degree in Systems, Networks, and Software Engineering from ISIMA (Institut Supérieur d’Informatique, de Modélisation et de leurs Applications) in France. Principal languages are French, English and Italian.
  
  
• Thierry Raguin (Project Engineer) has strong Java and database development experience and has wide experience in the development of secured e-health and e-business applications. He was one of the main architects in the development of the CBTT e-health / e-training platform. He is currently working on integrating XML signatures for securing a document management and archiving database. He is also responsible for monitoring EU regulations and guidelines concerning data protection and privacy, and EU guidelines on quality criteria for health-related Websites. He graduated with a degree in Systems, Networks, and Software Engineering from ISIMA (Institut Supérieur d’Informatique, de Modélisation et de leurs Applications) in France. Principal languages are French and English.

Within ENABLED Mr. Cappozzo and Mr. Raguin will work on user requirements, the accessible e-training platform, trials and training activities.

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