RE: FW: [egov] chair e-gov TC and next steps

Thanks Carl

We have this one in sight over at Liberty's eGov SIG as well.

Cheers

Colin

From: cmattocks@metlife.com
To: egov@lists.oasis-open.org
CC: "Colin Wallis" <colin_wallis@hotmail.com>
Subject: RE: FW: [egov] chair e-gov TC and next steps
Date: Thu, 28 Sep 2006 12:29:40 -0400

As a focal point the members of the TC may wish to consider participation in DeSeGOV 2007 via a paper or workshop with other OASIS TCs & UN / CEFACT groups

Workshop on “Dependability and Security in e-Government” (DeSeGov 2007), which will be held in conjunction with the Second International Conference on Availability, Reliability and Security (“ARES 2007) at the Vienna University of Technology from April 10 to April 13, 2007

http://www.ares-conference.eu/conf/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=8&Itemid=9

Conference
The Second International Conference on Availability, Reliability and Security (“ARES 2007 – The International Security and Dependability Conference”) will bring together researchers and practitioners in the area of IT-Security and Dependability. ARES 2007 will highlight the various aspects of security – with special focus on secure internet solutions, trusted computing, digital forensics, privacy and organizational security issues.
ARES 2007 aims at a full and detailed discussion of the research issues of security as an
integrative concept that covers amongst others availability, safety, confidentiality, integrity,
maintainability and security in the different fields of applications.

Important Dates

Workshop Proposal: September, 10th 2006
Submission Deadline: November, 19th 2006
Author Notification: January, 7th 2007
Author Registration: January, 21st 2007
Proceedings Version: January, 21st 2007
Conference: April, 10th to April 13th, 2007

Carl Mattocks
Consultant : ITIL Application Knowledge Management
MetLife 732 893 4170

'Always look on the bright side of life' Monty Python

"David RR Webber (XML)" <david@drrw.info>
09/28/2006 10:50 AM

To
"Colin Wallis" <colin_wallis@hotmail.com>

cc
egov@lists.oasis-open.org

Subject
RE: FW: [egov] chair e-gov TC and next steps

Colin,

Good to know about the Liberty work on eGov.

In addition to maintaining the mailing list for communication - I believe strongly that OASIS needs to
build the focus site - as they have with OpenDocument.

<snip>The new OASIS opendocument site is an excellent example:
http://opendocument.xml.org/
</snip>

where relevant work is then show cased in a readily accessible manor. Having to dig into email archives - or trawl the documents section of the TC is not user-friendly enough by comparison.

Instead using RSS feeds makes this a snap to maintain in today's world - as I'm currently doing with http://ebXMLforum.net - where new items can be added in minutes by the OASIS staffers when TC's announce work and results that are applicable - and RSS readers can pick up on those directly.

Interestingly I presented at the annual PESC for Education Sector professionals (another great eGov area!) - on how easy this is to do for school adminstrators and parents running functions and clubs.

http://www.pesc.org/events/techstandards/third/presentations/Using%20XML%20Scripting%20for%20Business%20and%20Life.ppt

How much is XML making your life easier and effecting how your collaborate with your peers?!?

Cheers, DW

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: FW: [egov] chair e-gov TC and next steps
From: "Colin Wallis" <colin_wallis@hotmail.com>
Date: Wed, September 27, 2006 11:50 am
To: egov@lists.oasis-open.org

Apologies
Mail filtering issues meant that the list in general did not get my response.
I have re-sent my response from my Hotmail account.
cheers
Colin

From: WALLIS, Colin
Sent: Monday, 25 September 2006 11:44 a.m.
To: 'David RR Webber (XML)'; 'peter@justbrown.net'
Cc: 'egov@lists.oasis-open.org'; 'jamie.clark@oasis-open.org'; 'h.j.m.burg@minfin.nl'
Subject: RE: [egov] chair e-gov TC and next steps
Harm Jan, David, Peter et al

I support the discussion and direction that this thread is taking.

It's interesting that at the very time that OASIS is running into difficulties on this TC, Liberty have just established their eGov SIG. As its Chair for the past few months, I continue tread carefully, conscious of the challenges here! It is slightly easier going because Liberty's focus is limited to federated identity but transcends standards development through to implementation. The narrower focus makes it easier to keep an eye on other work streams and "chip in" with the eGov view, as well as take on our own work items that support those efforts but not covered by another Liberty group. And, particularly with implementation considerations, we get a more proactive interest from vendor and private sector members.

By comparison, OASIS's vast scope makes it hard to keep all the activity on one's radar. David's point that OASIS is first and foremost in the business of creating standards is pertinent here.

Peter's point that we are all immersed in so many projects is so true. And unless there is a funded project that can be leveraged for egov TC use it's hard to get some momentum going. The notion of an e-gov Ontology first proposed by Ann Wrightson at the 2005 XML Summer School in Oxford was a classic example. Excellent thought, but because there was no subsequent project, it didn't fly. Up to a point, UN/CEFACT TGB 19 (another egov group set up in the last 12 months) has taken up this cause, leveraging the Canadian government's GSRM (Govt Strategic Reference Model) (contact Ed Buchinski).

I totally favour OASIS keeping an e-gov "presence" - even if that is no more than a mailing list (I diverge from your thoughts here Harm-Jan - I think that a mere mailing list still offers valuable information sharing, even if it is not everything one would wish for from a TC).

Cheers

Colin

From: David RR Webber (XML) [mailto:david@drrw.info]
Sent: Saturday, 23 September 2006 5:31 a.m.
To: peter@justbrown.net
Cc: egov@lists.oasis-open.org; jamie.clark@oasis-open.org; h.j.m.burg@minfin.nl
Subject: RE: [egov] chair e-gov TC and next steps

Peter,

Also - the issue is that TC's like eGov are atypical - in they are not XML-heads writing schemas and such!

We've faced this in the BCM and IHC TCs as well.

Also - alot of eGov facing work is being done on specifics inside other TCs' - such as UBL, BCM, IHC, BPSS to name just a few - where concrete focus is applied to a vertical area and eGov use cases are derived and supporting specifications and schemas developed.

Perhaps the role of the eGov TC is more akin to that of the Joint Coordinating Committee - and that may be part of the solution too - to have a eGov CC along with a general subscription interest list.

Meanwhile the challenges facing eGov are huge - and the need to coordinate expands - for example - with the ebXML Hermes technology - the US Gov is using and deploying it - and the Chinese government is funding the development - but what is happening in terms of concerted leveraging of this exciting possibility to help drive adoption on a broad basis across industry and eGov? Trying to find even the right people to talk to, let alone develop a common vision, is a major challenge!

To give a sense of this - the following article from GCN News on US Gov funding for OMB and eGov is insightful.
http://www.gcn.com/print/25_21/41449-1.html

Clearly the need for what the eGov TC represents has never been greater - actually finding the right mechanism to coordinate this is another matter.

Perhaps OASIS should consider an eGov showcase area? Where we could post materials and coordination materials relevant to OASIS work and eGov?

The new OASIS opendocument site is an excellent example:
http://opendocument.xml.org/

This would remove the need to have a formal TC to manage that - as the OASIS staff would follow their normal guidelines for showcasing OASIS work.

DW

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: [egov] chair e-gov TC and next steps
From: peter@justbrown.net
Date: Fri, September 22, 2006 12:46 pm
To: h.j.m.burg@minfin.nl
Cc: egov@lists.oasis-open.org, jamie.clark@oasis-open.org

Dear Harm Jan:

Firstly, thank you for the frank comments: nobody likes
hanging on to something that isn't working but at the same
time it takes some guts to take the step you have.

Secondly, thanks for trying to get it going again. I think
you have probably done all that could realistically be
expected in the circumstances and it really is up to
public sector agencies that are OASIS members to take the
lead here: if they don't, I don't think it would be
healthy for only the "industry" members to bail them out
of their responsibilities.

I think one of the major problems is simply that
eGovernment has become a victim of its own success: we are
all so involved in some many areas of work, the eGov TC on
its own no longer provides the foucs for any specific
piece of work.

I wonder whether the next steps are:
- to officially wind up the TC;
- to propose to OASIS the activation of an eGovernment
Forum (Wiki based maybe?) that could provide a lightweigth
information exchange and discussion forum without the
formality of a TC and the TC process.

Jamie: any comments regarding formal procedure and
possibilities?

Best regards,

Peter

-------------
Peter F Brown
Chair, CEN eGovernment Focus Group
Founder, Pensive.eu
Co-Editor, OASIS SOA Reference Model
Lecturer at XML Summer School
---
Personal:
+43 676 610 0250
http://public.xdi.org/=Peter.Brown
www.XMLbyStealth.net
www.xmlsummerschool.com

==================================
Dear friends, TC members,

A year ago I accepted the election as chair of this
committee. After the start I did a few proposals to change
the modus operandi of the TC.
In general: organising at least three face to face
meetings a year, at least one TC conference call a month
and a more clear working agenda.
Next to that I expected the non government members to
contribute more to this committee.
At the time we got into a short discussion on the role of
this TC.
The general outcomes:
Almost no agreement on having face to face meetings : Too
costly No one was willing or able to pay for
teleconference lines or communication costs Industry
members perceived this TC as a group of government
officials who make clear what they want and industry is
listening.

I was of course disappointed about this for a couple of
reasons:
There is a lot of knowledge to share between industry and
governments but as we say in my country :love has to come
from both sides.
Just a few actors and the rest lurkers simply does not
work. Working within OASIS means per say that industry
plays a heavy role. If government representatives want to
talk among each other there are more and perhaps better
organisations to do this in.
Next to that if a TC takes itself serious it has to
produce work. If a TC wants to be heard it means hard work
and also making costs. A TC is more than a mailing group.

I promised the TC to organise a couple of informal
regional sessions. One during the OASIS forum in London (3
members), One in Washington (3 members), One in Canberra,
Australia (2 members). All participants except one where
government officials.
In this meetings members did want a new start but had not
enough time and resources to pull this TC

My conclusion at this moment. Although there is interest,
there is no support for a active working E-gov TC anymore.
And I am not the person able to make it work.
Currently I am in charge of a lot of projects in my own
government and I have my activities in the Tax-xml TC as
well. Although industry support in that TC is minimal as
well, there is a firm basis and that TC is working.

So, I must admit (a little disappointed) that I could not
make it happen, I have decided to leave this TC. I hope
and expect that a later date E government interoperability
issues will make a E-gov TC worthwhile. At that time I
will be happy to make a contribution is any form.

Kind regards,

Harm Jan van Burg
Netherlands Ministry of Finance
Directorate-General of the Tax and Customs Administration

office + 31 70 342 8522
mobile +31 6 23943759

Need more speed? Get Xtra Broadband!

The information contained in this message may be CONFIDENTIAL and is for the intended addressee only. Any unauthorized use, dissemination of the information, or copying of this message is prohibited. If you are not the intended addressee, please notify the sender immediately and delete this message.

egov message