Re: [egov] "Semantic Interoperability" - a new TC?

["David RR Webber" <david@drrw.info>]

Peter,

You may want to look at the work of the OASIS BCM TC - since
Agile Information Systems and Semantic Interoperability
go hand-in-hand.

Also - the Registry TC currently has the SCM SC -
Semantic Content Management - I have a sense that you may well
find what you need between those two pieces of work.

However - I agree that it would make sense for the eGov TC to
produce a White Paper on best practices in this area - and
collaborate between SCM, BCM and eGov to produce that....

Just my immediate thoughts here.

Thanks, DW.

----- Original Message ----- 
From: <peter@justbrown.net>
To: <egov@lists.oasis-open.org>
Sent: Monday, January 26, 2004 2:47 PM
Subject: [egov] "Semantic Interoperability" - a new TC?


> John, as promised:
>
> Below is a very draft outline for a possible new OASIS TC, or at least a
distinct piece of work. It has already been posted and discussed with a
number of people and OASIS members, but not yet published as a formal
proposal. It can also be seen online at:
>
>
http://www1.europarl.eu.int/forum/interop/dispatch.cgi/sibig/docProfile/100004/d20031216125609/No/t100004.htm
>
> Since drafting this (after discussion with and at the request of a number
of participants at the XML Conference in Philadelphia in December) I have
noted other discussions and initiatives that touch the same/similar areas
including:
> - The Danish Government ITST's proposal to the eGov TC list on "Naming and
Design Rules for eGovernment;
> - a proposal within the ebXML Registry TC to set up a new sub-committee on
Semantic Content Management;
> - some of the work advancing on the Business Centric Methodology;
> - the OASIS Symposium on "Reliable Infrastructures for XML" on 26-27
April.
>
> Although the emphasis to date has been on creating technical
specifications that certainly advance the cause of semantic
interoperability, I think that we need also to look at business-level
issues.
>
> I am looking to secure funding through the European Commission for a "work
package" managed through the European Standards Organisation, CEN, to
develop a set of guidelines for public administrations that would cover, at
a policy level, issues relating to:
> - object (class) identification;
> - naming conventions;
> - (core component) vocabulary development;
> - registration and infrastructure;
> - governance
>
> I have tried to persuade the Commission to do this work through OASIS, but
thus far, to no avail: not through lack of willingness, but because of a
rather tortuous set of financial regulations.
>
> The issues for the eGov TC as I see it are:
> - is there a distinct job of work to be done, in line with the attached
draft mission?
> - could this be done within an existing OASIS TC, Which one? By whom?
> - how does the proposal relate to/overlap with the other (draft/proposed)
initiatives?
> - if not, should a new TC proposal be launched?
> - is there "added value" to be had from a CEN input (with possible EC
support)?
>
> The text of the strawman proposal is below:
>
> <citation DocID="eu.ep:doc:gri.gen.0059" VerN°="0-1" xml:lang="en-gb">
>
> Title: Semantic Interoperability Business Implementation Guidelines (SIBIG
or "See Big")
>
> XML has clearly proven itself as a standard that enables syntactic
interoperability between systems, but it has a long way to go to improve and
enable semantic interoperability.
>
> Vertical industries and communities of interest are forging ahead with
particular markup vocabularies within their specific domains, and in
response to their domain-specific needs.
>
> Experience in many organisations has shown, however, that many business
issues concerning the use of XML need to be addressed very early on, if the
full benefits are to be reaped of an XML-centred and semantically
interoperable information architecture. This was most clearly and most
recently demonstrated during the XML2003 Conference in Philadelphia in a
number of (unintentionally) related presentations from the public sector
[1].
>
> Properly considered within any enterprise of community of interest, these
issues will provide a clear framework for semantic interoperability, centred
on the use of key XML-based standards and specifications.
>
> The purpose of the SIBIG TC is therefore to:
> 1. Consider the commonly raised business issues surrounding the
introduction of XML standards, including the importance of:
> - a common business vocabulary;
> - standardised naming conventions for document, content and other digital
object types;
> - a proven methodology for developing the above;
> - mapping mechanism between the business vocabulary and specific XML-based
constructs, including:
>   - element and attribute names and values;
>   - metadata elements and values;
>   - business processing terminology;
>   - RDF and Topic Maps subjects, identifiers and indicators
> - establishing a framework within which these business issues are
developed;
> - a system of governance that oversees and maintains this framework;
> - handling information assets as any other type of business asset,
>
> 2. Demonstrate the business value in such an approach;
> 3. Demonstrate the best use of existing specifications, in particular
those of ebXML and UBL;
> 4. Work together with existing agencies, particularly in the public sector
in North America and the European Union, to encourage use of such standards
and frameworks, to complement their own work in these areas;
> 5. Propose a standard approach for the development of such frameworks,
through the creation of a series of best practice documents and framework
"templates";
> 6. Vest ownership of the TC's deliverables in OASIS, and to make them
freely available to anyone without licensing or other fees;
> 7. Offer a cost-effective solution to organisations and enterprises
wishing to improve semantic interoperability.
>
> The TC shall take as its starting point the work on semantic
interoperability as presented by the European Parliament, the Danish
Government, the Naming and Design Rules work of the UBL TC and the ebXML
Core Components specifications. In addition, it should work in close
conjunction with the BCM and eGov TCs.
>
> The deliverables of the SIBIG TC will be a set of guidelines and best
practices that establish a framework for developing semantic
interoperability upstream from particular XML implementations. These
deliverables should be drafted in such a way that they are as directly
usable as possible with commercial off-the-shelf XML-enabled applications
and software or, where appropriate, can be used as requirements documents to
direct the work of bespoke systems developments.
>
> The work will be carried out in a number of phases:
> 1. A face-to-face forum to collect experiences and exchange initial ideas
on the scope of the deliverables. This could be envisaged alongside the XML
Europe 2004 Conference (April 2004, Amsterdam) and/or the OASIS Symposium on
"Reliable Infratsructure for XML" (April 2004, New Orleans)
>
> 2. Initial research to identify those aspects of current practices that
could be included in the proposed deliverables (2Q2004 and 3Q2004)
>
> 3. Finalisation by the TC of a set of formal deliverables (4Q2004)
>
> The TC will seek to raise reseach funding from public agencies to
underwrite the costs of the reasearch, project coordination and involvement
of non-profit organisations that are not able to support full OASIS
membership.
>
> [1] See in particular: "Information Architecture with XML: From Lingua
Ubiquita to Lingua Franca", "How the US Federal Government is Using XML",
and "Naming and Design Rules for E-Government - The Danish Approach"
>
> </citation>
>
> I hope this helps for the TC meeting tomorrow
>
> Peter
>
>
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