Goals
In this project we are to design and implement a system that will:
· Create a secure interface to currently existing web applications
· Centralize the user management system
· Provide a way for different users to have different access levels
· Set different user priority levels
· Have an application to manage all the users
· Allow for basic user customizations

The objective of the project is to design and implement an efficient, secure interface to other USGS TerraWeb applications, along with a stand-alone application used to administer the user management system. The software will allow users to securely and easily access other interactive TerraWeb applications.

Product Description
There will be two parts to this TerraUser interactive web application: a stand-alone part for administrators to manage users and permissions, and an invisible application that lets other applications connect to get specific user information. There will be a variety of information about the user that will be stored including, but not limited to:
o Who the user is
o What the user's personal preferences are (look and feel of application)
o What team user belongs to
o Priority level for running processes
o Applications the user has access to
o Level of access
The system will be built on a SuSE Linux server running an Apache web server. The system will use a MySQL database to store user information in.

Figure 3.1: High-level Interface Overview

Figure 3.1. Above shows a rough diagram of the TerraUser interface. Users will have to log in through a browser. They will then have access to TerraWeb applications, a user preference page, etc.

Figure 3.2: High-level Application Overview

Figure 3.2. Above shows a rough overview of the TerraUser application. Users will use a secure socket layer to login to the TerraUser application. The TerraUser application will communicate to a MySQL database using JDBC. The TerraUser application will be able to send requested information to the TerraWeb applications.