[ebxml-iic] CEN/ISSS ebXML Interop meeting

[Steven Yung <Steven.Yung@Sun.COM>]

Hi All,

I attended a CEN/ISSS meeting for an ebXML Interoperability 
project.  This project will almost definitely use the work 
that we have been doing. Below is a meeting summary.

Summary of eBES Vendor Forum
Held Sept 25, 2002 at
CEN/ISSS in Brussels
by Steve Yung

Background
The meeting was a kickoff of the European ebXML
Interoperability Pilot Project, a project to create an interoperable
demo of ebXML with European partners.  This is to help promote ebXML
within the European community.  There were meetings held in March and
June of this year to brainstorm and decide on project.

Pim van der Eijk of OASIS will be project manager.

The project is under the CEN Workshop process, similar to the OASIS TC
process.  It will produce a CEN Workshop Agreement, similar to a OASIS
TC Spec.  OASIS has endorsed this.

Official project plan on CEN website
http://www.cenorm.be/isss/Workshop/eBES/Vendors/vendor%20Project%20plan.htm

Present:
(I did not really get the names, but have listed companies and groups
involved).
Note: I was told that the meeting got 3 times more people than the last one.  
Also, the people who were here this time were not all the same as the previous
time.  This time we got the presence of Vendors (Oracle, Excelon etc)
and of Users' communities and of Integrators.  That's very significant
because it proves that there is interest in ebXML from everywhere.

ISV's - Cronos/XTi, DanNet, Excelon, Seeburger, Software AG, Sun, TIE,
Oracle (XML Global was listed as a participant, but did not attend)
Groups - CIDX (Chemical), EAN, European Steel Industry

Quick Meeting Summary:
What was interesting was the responses from a survery send out before
the meeting.  All the participants, with the exception of Oracle, 
responded.  There was total agreement that ebMS was critical.  Most 
agree that CPP/A was important, then all across as to BPSS and Core 
Components.  We did not write much down (it was difficult to read the 
slides).  The slides will be posted on the CEN website.

What came out of the meeting?
Two working groups were formed: one to look at what is needed for ebMS
interop; one to look at a business oriented demo.  The first group was
technical related while the second group was more marketing/business.

I sat in on the first group (ebMS Interop).  What came out was that
the group should really limit their scope in order to accomplish
something (focus on ebMS and some CPP/A) and that it really needs to use
work already done when it is available (e.g. ebXML IIC TC work).  They
have scheduled the first conference call for Oct 3.  The business group
looks more disorganize, their first call is not scheduled for a month.