XML messaging: OSCI (Online Services Computer Interface)

["Hagen, Martin (Finanzen)" <mhagen@finanzen.bremen.de>]

Title: XML messaging: OSCI (Online Services Computer Interface)

Dear colleagues, especially those of you involved in SC Web Services,

as we discussed in yesterday's TC meeting, the issue of ebXML messaging and relevant requirements from a government's point of view are an obvious concern for our future work.

May I use this opportunity to distribute some information on the Standard OSCI, which is currently the mandatory standard for (web-based) transactions of the German Governments "Standards and Architectures for eGovernment Applications" (SAGA) policy.

Enclosed you find - for starters - a quick overview. The transport part of OSCI is a SOAP implementation, including W3C's electronic signature and encryption specifications, albeit taylored to the requirements of the European Union electronic signatures directive.

<<OSCI overview.pdf>>
The design principles are at the following address:

http://www.osci.de/materialien/requirements.pdf

The specification (current version is 1.2) is at the following address:

http://www.osci.de/materialien/osci-specification_1_2_english.pdf

More information (mostly in German - we are working on the translation!):

www.osci.info

Last but not least, there are already more than 50 actual transaction services in Germany which are based on OSCI. So it is a proven standard that works in a real-life environment. See, e.g. the services at www.bremen.de/onlinedienste.

We would welcome comments and suggestions on these specifications, as we plan to maintain these standards in line with other standard initiatives such as OASIS.

With best wishes,
i.A.

Martin Hagen
OSCI- Co-ordination Office
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Freie Hansestadt Bremen
Der Senator für Finanzen
Referat für Neue Medien und E-Government
E-Mail: Martin.Hagen@Finanzen.Bremen.De
Telefon: +49 (421) 361 4746

OSCI overview.pdf