Ixxus today announced that it has successfully developed a flexible workflow solution for the WorldWide Antimalarial Resistance Network (WWARN). The system was built using Alfresco software, chosen by the group as the best fit for their requirements. Ixxus were selected as they are the largest pure Alfresco consultancy in the world today, the only Alfresco Platinum partner in the UK, and as such were perfectly placed to provide a content solution.

Over 40% of the world’s population (about 2.5 billion people) are at risk of malaria, with about 800,000 people dying from it every year – despite the fact that the disease is preventable and treatable. WWARN is a global collaboration generating quality-assured, timely information to track the emergence and spread of drug resistance in malaria. Launched in 2009, the organisation integrates the efforts of researchers, NGOs and public health experts around the world, working together to serve the global malaria community through the provision of high quality data resources.

WWARN provides a platform for data to be uploaded and results shared globally, giving a real-time picture of the efficacy of antimalarial drugs at a national, regional and global level, and allowing policy-makers to respond appropriately.

The challenge set for Ixxus by WWARN was to create a flexible workflow solution which could be used to build advanced workflows, and to which data could be uploaded from around the globe. The group had several further specific requirements within this, including the ability to customise content relationships and metadata, and to search and filter within both content files and metadata. The user interface needed to be customisable and extensible, with the capability to display workflow dialogs and metadata forms.

As the largest open-source ECM in the world, Alfresco was the ideal fit for WWARN’s requirements as its capable workflow engine is highly flexible. With all the advantages of a large and supportive community centred around wikis and forums, Alfresco was a good match for WWARN’s needs as it provides extensive search and filter capabilities for uploaded content, including custom metadata searches. It can also be easily configured to show custom workflow dialogs and metadata forms without the need for programming.

A proof-of-concept solution with a custom advanced workflow for antimalarial efficacy clinical studies was created by Ixxus in partnership with WWARN, along with a custom model to describe content relationships in this domain. The user interface was configured and customised to display both the clinical data transformation workflow and model for the domain.

Justin Haynes, Client Engagement Director, said “Given Alfresco’s flexibility for customisation coupled with its wide range of standard features, it was an ideal choice for WWARN’s needs. Ixxus were happy to help with such a worthwhile cause.”

Ian Wright, WWARN’s Alfresco Project Lead commented "Ixxus have shown themselves to be knowledgeable, flexible and helpful. With collaborators across the world, we have a real need for effective work solutions. Thanks to their excellent service and understanding of the Alfresco platform, we have rapidly developed a work tool which will make a valuable contribution to meeting our goals."

About Ixxus

With headquarters in London, Ixxus is an experienced global consultancy and systems integration organisation. The Company specialises in the design, development and operational support of enterprise content management and search solutions, with a modern and innovative approach to project delivery.

Ixxus is Alfresco’s only UK based platinum partner and has gained unrivalled implementation experience over the last five years with a team now of over 35 consultants. The company has worked across all industry sectors; including publishing, finance, higher education, government, legal and manufacturing. Customers include Yell.com, Virgin Money, Amnesty International, Clifford Chance and 118.com.

About WWARN

WWARN is a global collaboration generating quality-assured, timely information to track the emergence and spread of drug resistance in malaria. The organisation serves the global malaria community through the provision of high quality data resources, a collection of research tools and a global forum for exchange of scientific and public health information on matters relating to antimalarial drug resistance.

WWARN was planned and initiated by a core group of scientists from over 50 institutions and 28 countries that recognised the need for a comprehensive, global surveillance system to provide early warning to vulnerable countries. For further information, see www.wwarn.org.