A Deakin University PhD student has written a Web services broker which promises to restore broken links or redirect clients to similar services.

The middleware may be used in hospitals for access to patient information, on building sites to open communication channels for ordering materials and lodging approvals, and in the stock exchange where stock prices are linked to the exchange and bank accounts.

Deakin University PhD student Michael Messig, who created the program, said while the software uses the same Web services technology as Amazon and eBay, a prototype has been designed to use mobile devices as additional clients.

"The project focuses on using Web services productively; the broker ensures that if a service fails, that is if it is not available or has an error, it will attempt to restore the service or direct the client to a different service of the same type," Messig said.

"There will be a real need for these services as more people use Web services for things like banking and travel bookings, and begin relying on mobile devices such as 3G phones."

Messig, who is currently studying in the Web and Mobile Technologies stream within the Bachelor of IT at Deakin University's Geelong Campus, said the tool is unique and can be used on any desktop or mobile device.

"This is a very exciting development in commercial Web-based technology [because] we're not aware of any system around that's like it," he said.