How do communities enter the eBusiness marketplace age?

["David RR Webber \(XML\)" <david@drrw.info>]

The need for ebXML and UBL today is just as important and relevant as 5
years ago; maybe even more so! 

 http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/14/world/europe/14italy.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&th&emc=th


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How do we create communities of practice that can plug together people
across the globe? 

And more important - reduce their distribution costs so they can
continue to compete effectively and find new markets for their skills? 

Perhaps we need a benefactor to step up - or someone within the EU - to
create the registry and downloadable S2Sclient infrastructure for UBL
transactions. 

Note - we're just deploying S2Sclient here at NIH this week based on
Hermes that allows folks to request information and update data
regarding their grant applications in a secure and trusted way. 
Plug-n-play ebXML-based grant requests - pre-packaged download and
install - using all open source / open license components. 

So we know the technology exists for the infrastructure already.  Next
we need people to take this to the iPod/ebXML level by establishing a
project to do that for UBL-based accounting. 

This would be a self-help service.   

Of course those needing the next level of integration - Roger Bass,
RedHat and others are happy to assist. 

But I'm seeing here - that folks like the industry in Italy don't have
legacy - so for them its a simpler question of just needing something
to help them get online and plugged in. 

I see that online tourism and reservations is web enabled today by
countries tourism ministries and has made that whole industry sector
accessible.  What about light manufacturing and agriculture sectors?

Any takers?  Perhaps the Italian and German departments of commerce
joint initiative? 

DW