Status of existing and future work (was) Groups - Monthly TC Call ...

[James Bryce Clark <jamie.clark@oasis-open.org>]

     Good afternoon.  I look forward to joining your call later 
today.  My colleague Carol Cosgrove-Sacks, who is Geneva-based, 
cannot join us today, but plans to attend your September UK 
face-to-face.

     As you and your organizations work out your future plans, let 
me share some of our consortium concerns.  Our re-design and recent 
re-launch of our e-Government activity as an OASIS member section 
(see below) is part of that picture, but there's more to it.
     As an open standards host, we have general responsibility to 
ensure that threads of work are noted and supported in some 
appropriate way -- regardless of where they go.  We cooperate 
closely with our peer groups to make sure that this is so.  Doing so 
well is the topic of this message, in three areas:  your work to 
date, your future plans, and your finalization of the planned OECD 
report.

     1.  First, we want to make sure that we're properly noting and 
acknowledging the work and requirements this group has created to 
date, during its lifespan.

     As part of any continuation, closure or transition, regardless, 
we ought to have a good collective "snapshot" about each.  In some 
cases, this is easy -- providing links and broader pointers to 
implementation projects in agencies, such as the NL/AU 
implementation of web services and taxonomies described at your June 
2007 meeting.  In other cases, we want to make sure we have a clear 
shared statement of the status and intent of projects.  These 
include your work on CoRs and indirect taxation models.  We'll be in 
touch to confirm, and if needed refine, those descriptions and 
pointers, before your next F2F.

     2.  Obviously, if your community (or some of it) wishes to 
continue its general dialogue about needs and data structures, OASIS 
ought to provide appropriate hosting, if you wish to use it.  We 
also hope to see your individual organizations participate, if they 
wish, in our broader activities around public administration use 
cases.

     As we discussed in Virginia, a different approach seems needed, 
for this group.  The project-and-deliverables-based paradigm of a 
"technical committee", wherever hosted, may not fit your needs well. 
  But you are not alone in that regard.  Recent changes in our macro 
environment significantly changed the needs -- and scoping and 
licensing practices -- of many  standards groups.
     Our own broader work on e-government has been re-organized into 
a broader, less-deliverable-based community approach, based on the 
input of our own community members.  They told us this year that 
they wished to see a continued, but more effective, forum.  You can 
see the outcome (and founding members) of this work at the "OASIS 
eGovernment Member Section" site at
         http://www.oasis-egov.org/
OASIS "Sections" permit broader, long-playing conversations among 
participants, and can spawn or discuss requirements for specific 
'TC' projects. but are not themselves the place for deep technical 
work.  The new structure was formally established this month, and 
will be widely announced next month.  (We typically give additional 
joiners a few weeks to jump on.)  Carol serves as that group's staff 
support.
     We hope that we will have the benefit of participation in that 
broader effort from some of you.  Please expect us to contact you, 
on that topic.

     Also, though, there is the question of this group itself.  We 
understand that you (or some of you) wish to continue to meet on 
your own tax-related matters.  We realize that the 'housing' 
arrangements for a continuing committee are a challenge.  I 
encourage you to feel welcome to do so within OASIS -- as a 
committee or subcommittee of that Member Section, or a similar 
parallel panel.
     We have launched a host of advanced tools and organizational 
structures to support this newer kind of collaborative work.  (See 
links below.)  As we've seen in the open source movement, I think 
this style of collaboration,  generally speaking, is where the world 
is going.
     From our view, OASIS has four virtues for you as a host.  We're 
globally reputable (an acceptable established choice to most 
governments);  comparatively quite inexpensive (given our various 
individual and government member classes);  the home of much related 
work;  and most important, genuinely neutral.  OASIS does not 
extract a 'strategy tax' from its projects.  We are present to 
facilitate our members' goals, not to bend projects to the use of 
any particular favored party, architecture, vendor or standard.  I 
can't emphasize enough how important, and increasingly rare, that 
is, in our increasingly-competitive world of XML and structured data.

     We'll look forward to discussing those options with you if you 
wish.  For an example of a "Member Section" beginning to use its 
tools robustly, see
         http://www.oasis-opencsa.org/
For an example of the new collaborative interface we are using for 
public interaction with nonmember implementers, see
         http://dita.xml.org/

     3.  Finally, we want to ensure that we are appropriately 
circulating your ongoing work on the draft "OASIS Tax XML Technical 
Committee’s XML Position Paper for Tax Administrations".  There are 
a number of important tentative conclusions in the first two drafts. 
  I believe your final report will be an important and widely 
influential document.

     As a normal part of open standardization quality control, we 
wish to confirm with you what plans are being made for airing and 
review of your final work product.  As discussed previously, 
committees often work on drafts in a small environment, but 
generally bring any final report out to a broader consultative 
audience before its final release or transmission.
     There are strong public policy reasons for our public review 
protocol.  They also are reflected in the WTO treaty on 
standardization (and implementing regulations of signatory states), 
and the OASIS Liaison Policy regarding QC of work being transmitted 
elsewhere.  The OASIS public review procedure is described at:
 
http://www.oasis-open.org/committees/liaison_policy.php#submitwork
Our policies on work being transmitted interorganizationally is at:
 
http://www.oasis-open.org/committees/liaison_policy.php#submitwork

     It seems to me that these steps are within reach without being 
a practical obstacle to your progress (or desire to finish the 
report by year end).  We will be available to you to answer 
questions or discuss details at your next two meetings.

     Thanks for your attention, and also for your many acts as a 
group and individually to use, create and improve open data standards.

     Kind regards JBC

~ James Bryce Clark
~ Director of Standards Development, OASIS
~ http://www.oasis-open.org/who/staff.php#clark

h.j.m.burg@minfin.nl wrote:
> Friends,
> Here the brief agenda for today's telecom.
> * * *  
> Date:  Thursday, 30 August 2007
> Time:  04:00pm - 05:00pm ET  * * *
> 1-202-927-2255
> Access Code:  567277
> * * *
> Agenda:
> Opening 
> Roll Call
> Progress reports
> planning Face to face september