Re: [emergency] FYI: Draft Address Data Content Standard

["R. Allen Wyke" <emtc@nc.rr.com>]

Good reply from Eliot that I thought the whole group would benefit from.
Going to try and cross post with the Infrastructure group as well,
although previous attempts have been unsuccessful.

Allen

-----Forwarded Message-----

> From: Eliot Christian <echristian@usgs.gov>
> To: R. Allen Wyke <emtc@nc.rr.com>
> Subject: Re: [emergency] FYI: Draft Address Data Content Standard
> Date: 09 May 2003 06:53:10 -0400
> 
> At 04:48 PM 5/7/2003 -0400, you wrote:
> >Hmmm.....I looked over this, and maybe I am missing something, but this
> >doesn't seem like the purpose is to "facilitate the exchange of address
> >information", but rather to facilitate "the processing" of address
> >information, which may or may not be the act of exchanging.
> 
> Sure, but if you are simply building a system for your own, internal
> use then it doesn't make sense for you to invest significant thought
> in issues of interoperability. On the other hand, if your system will
> exchange address information you will have to think about the various
> concepts and conventions that comprise an "address".
> 
> >  I am clearly
> >no expert on the problem this is solving, but it seems a bit like
> >killing a fly with a elephant gun.
> 
> In my experience, the biggest problems in IT are typically regarded
> as trivial at first glance. The tendency to trivialize is probably
> a major reason these problems remain largely unsolved on a broad
> scale. (The only interoperability problem larger than the "address"
> problem is the, somewhat related, problem of "identity".)
> 
> >It is also interesting that a lot of what is here is already achieved by
> >the de facto vCard standard (explained here, http://www.imc.org/pdi,
> >along with its sister vCalendar). vCard does not, however, talk about
> >how to process and use the data - it just describes it.
> 
> Yep, interoperability with vCard should be straightfoward.
> 
> >So, my personal commentary aside, what were your thoughts on how this
> >applied to the efforts of the EM TC? Something the Infrastructure SC
> >should think about, since "processing" is certainly within its area of
> >concentration?
> 
> Yes, and relevant when processing things like Incident Reports, I would
> think.
> 
> Eliot
> 
-- 
R. Allen Wyke
Chair, Emergency Management TC
emtc@nc.rr.com
http://www.oasis-open.org/committees/emergency