Abstract
A Resource Space Grid is a virtual Grid that aims at effectively sharing, using and managing versatile resources across the Internet. The kernel of the Resource Space Grid includes a Resource Space Model (RSM) and a uniform Resource Using Mechanism (RUM). This paper presents the Resource Space Grid's core scientific issues and methodology, architecture, model and theory, design criteria and method, and practice. A normal form theory is proposed to normalize the resource spaceβa coordinate system for uniformly specifying and organizing resources. The RUM provides not only the endβusers with an operable resource browser to operate resources using the builtβin Resource Operation Language (ROL), but also the application developers with the ROLβbased programming environment. The prototype platform based on the proposed model and method has been implemented and used for sharing and managing resources in distributed research teams. Operations on Resource Spaces can constitute the virtual communities of Resource Space Gridsβa platform independent resource sharing environment. Copyright Β© 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.