Title: eGovernment Interoperability
1eGovernment Interoperability Seminar
Karl Wessbrandt, the Swedish Administrative
Development Agency Tallinn, Estonia, 17 January
2006
2Draft program
3Introduction to the Swedish public sector and
eGovernment
- Background, Structure and eGovernance Approach
4Swedish Public Sector Structure
- Parliament
- Central government ministries
- Central boards agencies
- Regional level
- Local level
5IT Governance in Sweden Traditionally, a light
touch Approach
- The Agency for Public Management issued
optional Guidelines and Recommendationsand
procured framework agreements for ICT products
and services - 2004-2005, the Government Interoperability Board
had the power to issue Regulations, mandatory for
Government authorities - From 2006, these and other coordination tasks
were merged into Verva, the new Swedish
Administrative Development Agency
6Unifying agency for development of the government
administration
7Priorities for 2006 first year of operations
- Develop an integrated bank of knowledge in
Vervas area - of responsibility
- Develop e-administration what comes after the
- 24/7 agency?
- Develop training activities what is the role of
government officers in an integrated government
administration?
8Verva organization chart
9The four 24/7 e-service levels
10Current Swedish Information Management status
- Framework agreements for public sector ICT
products and services - e-id and secure data transport products
(SHS/e-Link) and services (Infra service)
available - Focus on information syntax (XML structure) and
on semantics (Terminology and information models)
11Strong interoperability tradition,
butProprietary solutions bilateral agreements
Joined-up eGov Services
12Interoperability TomorrowHarmonized resource
discovery and exchange
Joined-up eGov Services
13Coherent Case Processing
Joined-up eGov Services
standardized messages
Agency A
Service Oriented Support
Stove-pipe systems
Information Content XML Schema, Metadata, Control
led terminology
Web catalog
Agency B
XML-converter
Internet
Secure eLink Transport
Information Management Platform
Infra Services
14Critical issues success factors for eGovernment
development
- Interoperability levels
- Guidelines issued by the National
Interoperability Board - Public Procurement and IT Framework Agreements
15Barriers to eGov
Source Statistics Denmark, 2002
16Interoperability perspectives
European Interoperability Framework
- Organisational interoperability
- Semantic interoperability
- Technical interoperability
17 Technical interoperability perspective
- Technical interoperability covers the technical
issues of linking up computer systems and
services. - Open interfaces
- interconnection services
- data integration and middleware
- data presentation and exchange
- accessibility
- security services
18Semantic interoperability perspective
- Semantic interoperability
- ensuring that the precise meaning of exchanged
information is understandable by any other
application not initially developed for this
purpose. - Enables systems to combine received information
with other information resources and to process
it in a meaningful manner.
19Organisational interoperability perspective
- Organisational interoperability
- defining business goals
- modelling business processes
- bringing about the collaboration of
administrations that wish to exchange information - aims at addressing the requirements of the user
community by making services available, findable,
accessible and user-oriented - May also include legislative issues
20Interoperability Interfaces
212006
2004-2005
22Interoperability Board Decisions 2004
- 0401 Guidelines for eGovernment Web Sites 2.0
(usability) - 0402 Basic guidelines for authorities' use of
electronic id and signatures (EID) - 0403 Guidelines for user interfaces to meet
legal requirements (EID)
www.e-namnden.se
23Interoperability Board Decisions 2005
- 0501 Guideleines for information exchange using
standard messages - 0502 Guidelines for authority reception of
electronic documents - 0503 Guidelines for authority regulations of
electronic services - 0504 Guidelines for legal information on public
web sites - 0505 Guidelines for character sets for writing
names
24Seminar Focus on Standard Messages for
Interchange of Records A Concept to Improve
Interoperability
25Board Decision 20050501 Guidelines for
standard messages
- Standardised information formatting guidance for
frequently exchanged information sets - Modular XML Schema Design according to good XML
practice - Public availability of Schemas, Documentation and
Usage Terms required - Board decision Feb. 2005
http//www.verva.se/web/t/Publication____1337.aspx
26The Concept
- Facilitate access to public data bases
- Identify frequently requested information sets
- Agree upon Information models and XML schemas
- Develop license conditions to regulate access
and use of public information - Publish as open source for free use in the
public sector and by the IT industry
27Information co-operation between authorities
Establish a limited set of standard messages for
frequently requested public information sets
- Definition a standard message is a frequently
required public information set with - An agreed information model / XML Schema
- A standardised license for access and use
- And is published and available for open use
28XML-based Standard messages
- Are interfaces between independent processes
- Are identified by process and information models
- Shall be used by several organisations
- Shall consist of re-usable core components
29Good practice schema structure, designed for
re-use
30Limitation Standard messages define user
oriented information sets only (i.e. transport
or archiving oriented packages not included)
(Payload)
SOAP with payload
SOAP
Envelope
xmlns
shs
http//www.statskontoret.se/
shs/label
SOAP
Header
E-Link etc.
SOAP Block
SHS version 1.1
SHS
-
Document
SOAP Block
SHS
-
Label
SOAP
Header
SOAP Body
SOAP Block
Payload
SOAP
Body
SOAP Block
Payload
Payload
Payload
Payload
Payload
Payload
Payload
Payload
31Standard platform for standard messages
- XML 1.0 Second Edition
- XML Schema 1.0
- Namespaces in XML 1.0
- What more is needed?
- Character Set Coding (UTF-8, ISO 8859-1,?)
- Naming Design Rules? (Language, ISO 11179-5,
ebXML CC, UBL, UML? - Versioning? (e.g. 1.1.1 Version.Release.Revision
?) - Metadata Guidelines? (e.g. Dublin Core,
eGovernment extensions?)
32From Idea to Published Recommendation
- Consultations and workshops with representatives
from 14 agencies - Hearing with 12 IT vendors and consultants
- Guidelines developed in co-operation with
technical and legal consultants - Referred for consideration (24 replies received)
33State of ImplementationStandard messaging
projects in planning or progress at
- Tax Board
- County Administrative Boards
- Road Administration
- Companies Registration Office
- Social Insurance Board
- Board of Student Aid
- Six cooperating Cities and Municipalities
34Some issues remaining to be solved
- Awareness and Motivation
- Project Identification and Funding
- Legal Issues
- Semantic Interoperability
35Further interoperability board recommendations
3605 02 Guidelines for authority reception of
electronic documents
- To clear certain basic legal and administrative
issues - When should a document be regarded as formally
received by the authority - Where is the borderline between information
service and official acting - Guidelines for system design
- Board decision May 2005
370503 Guidelines for authority regulations of
electronic services
- Guidlines for authorities' formulation of own
regulations about E-Id use - Board decision May 2005
380504 Guidelines for legal information required
on public web sites
- Provides a survey of different legal requirements
mandatory for public web sites - Gives advice on how to structure the information
- Board decision Oct. 2005
390505 Guidelines for Character set for writing of
names
- Correct spelling of non-Swedish names with Latin
script - Cooperation with central registers
- Possibly one European solution, 233 cap.small
letters and 43 other char. - Facilitates European IT-interchange of
information in todays ortographies - First proposal for strict principles referred for
consideration Dec.2004 - Adoption of addendum to Swedish keyboard layout
standard end 2005 - Keyboard drivers expected 2006
- Board decision Oct. 2005
40Public procurement of IT Framework Agreements,
e.g.
- Standard Software Products
- IT Consulting
- eID
- SHS (Government eLink)
- Infra Services
- Information Management Standard Software Products
41The Information Management Functional Model
Enterprise portal
e-mail
registry
Office
Legacy systems
Case handling / workflow management
e-id Govt e-link
Output
Capture
search tools
e-id Govt e-link
e-forms
Presentation/
scanning/
export
Document/content mgmt
ICR
Records management/e-archiving
Modeling, XML, integration tools
Source Statskontoret
42New information management framework agreement
2006
- 16 vendors get framework agreements, for one or
several functional areas and software products
plus product related consulting services - Eleven functional areas are covered, with at
least three different products available in each
area - Eight vendors also offer integrated product
suites, covering several functional areas
43Work in progress and in planning Experience and
results
- In Sweden and Internationally
- Records Management Standards and Guidelines
- Semantic Interoperability work
44Interoperability Board Work in progress, passed
on to Verva
- Study concerning generic principles for
authorities electronic information exchange - Study of supporting methods to introduce standard
messages (semantic interoperability, information
modeling) - Study of electronic invoicing
- Study of XBRL for financial information exchange
45Electronic Archiving - why is it important?
The importance of providing public access and
long term preservation of electronic information
is a crucial requirement to preserve the Memory
of the Information Society as well as improving
business processes for more effective
government. Short and long term accessibility
and intelligent retrieval of the knowledge stored
in document management and archival systems need
to be guaranteed. Erkki Liikanen European
Commission, Enterprise and Information Society at
the DLM Forum in Barcelona, May 2002.
46Records Management
Changing conditions Traditional
47Records Management
Changing conditions the e challenge
Case handling system
Indata
e-form
New e-process Adapted for safe Records
Management?
e-archive
48Electronic records Legal and Technical Issues
- Original or Copy?
- Authentic Form?
- Physical and logical preservation?
- e-Signature Preservation?
- Carrier, Form, Content?
- Records Registration and Tracking?
- Archival Organisation and Structure?
49Document vs. Records Management Systems
Source IDA MoReq
50The Records Management View of standard messages
- XML-based Standard Messages give Records
Management advantages, e.g - Records Status becomes more obvious
- Records become easier to identify, validate,
store, search and view - Increased systems and vendor independence
- More reliable long term preservation
51Some Logical e-Document Formats
- Proprietary or tailor-made Data Base records
- Web or e-Forms (proprietary, Word, PDF, XML)
- E-Mail, including Attachments
- Office Documents (proprietary and binary,
XML-based, open?) - Scanned Images (TIFF)
- Portable (PDF)
- Structured (SGML, XML)
- Photo, Sound, Moving Pictures
- Maps, Drawings, Graphics
52International Standardization Organization
- Information and Documentation Records
Management (ISO 15489-1) Provides guidance on
managing records - Dublin Core Metadata Element Set (ISO 15836)
- PDF/A (ISO 19005-1)
- TIFF (ISO 126392004)
53CEN/ISSS och eGovernment
- CEN/ISSS (Comité Européen de Normalisation/Informa
tion Society Standardization System) The
European ICT standardisation body - Also organizes
- Workshops, producing CWA (CEN Workshop
Agreements) - Focus Groups
54eGovernment Focus Group
CEN/ISSS has created a Focus Group to map the
various activities in the field of eGovernment
standardization and to discuss a roadmap for the
future.
The intention is to deliver a public report with
recommendations and proposals by 2006. The kick
off meeting appointed Peter Brown, European
Parliament/Austria, as Chair, and Luc Van den
Berghe, CEN/ISSS, as Secretary. Funding from
Commission is pending. IDABC cooperation
expected.
55New Workshop ADNOM
CEN/ISSS launched the CEN/ISSS Workshop "European
Network for Administrative Nomenclature"
(WS/ADNOM). The aim of the Workshop ADNOM is to
establish and maintain a network between European
government translation units, terminology
organizations, etc. with the purpose of
developing and disseminating European
Administrative Nomenclature. Suggest a permanent
organizational platform Demonstrate a prototype
web based infrastructure 2005 project team
financed by DG ENTR
56Some other Standardisation and collaboration
bodies
- ICA (International Council on Archives)ISAD(G),
ISAAR(CPF) EAD - OASIS (Advancement of Structured Information
Standards) - EU/IDABC, DLM (Document Lifecycle Management)
- MoReq (Model Requirements for the Management of
Electronic Records)
57Semantic Interoperability StrategyXML Clearing
House
58Semantic interoperability via gateway service
Source IDABC PEGS Infrastructure
59XML Clearing House Context
The IDA interoperability framework for
pan-European eGovernment services recommends that
for each life event or business episode
considered at a pan-European level, the
corresponding data structures should be made
interoperable. To do so, it is recommended that
Member States publish information on the
services, business processes and data structures
involved agree on the data structures and
dictionaries required at pan-European
level agree on multilateral mapping tables
between the various national and the pan-European
data structures.
60XML Clearing House Objectives
61Swedish example from a modeling workshop about
the concept person
62Swedish Example Termbank of the National Health
Welfare Board
http//app.socialstyrelsen.se/termbank/
63Recommended readingThe Danish InfoStructureBase
http//isb.oio.dk
64The Way Forward Next Steps
- Marketing and Training
- Semantic interoperability improvements
- Continue joint Terminology analysis, information
modelling and schema development to get a generic
set of eGovernment standard messages - Produce Controlled Vocabularies for selected
application areas - Establish a Public registry
- Define procedures and responsibilities
- Publish Information Models, XML Schemas, License
Agreements, Case studies, Best practices etc. - Cooperate with other national and international
initiatives, standards bodies etc. - Board of Health and Welfare, CareLink etc.
- IDABC, CEN/ISSS, DLM Forum, ISO, UN/CEFACT, OASIS
etc. - Investigate and relieve possible legal problems
65Working group sessions
- How to improve eGovernment interoperability in
Estonia
66Suggested Working group format
- Divide in three working groups
- Appoint a chairperson/presenter per working group
- Discuss possible actions how to further improve
eGovernment interoperability in Estonia - In terms of
- Organisational interoperability
- Semantic interoperability
- Technical interoperability
- And in terms of
- Short term urgency
- Long term importance
- Prepare a five minute presentation of the groups
discussions