The Promise of XML Web Services for Government

1
The Promise of XML Web Services for Government

• FedWeb Fall 02, October 29, 2002
• George Mason University, Arlington, VA
• Brand NiemannOffice of Environmental Information
• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

2
Overview

• 1. Abstract
• 2. What is XML?
• 3. The Benefits of Structured Content
• 4. Some Examples of XMLs Promise
• 5. Some Demonstrations
• 5.1 Federal CIO Councils Digital Talking Book
• 5.2 Corel-SoftQuads XMetal
• 5.3 NextPages Triad (Contenta, NXT 3, and Solo)
• 6. Federal CIO Councils XML Web Services
  Initiative
• 7. Contact Information

3
1. Abstract

• It is generally said that content is 90
  unstructured and 10 structured (databases) and
  that XML (eXtensible Markup Language) is the
  solution to bringing structure to unstructured
  content to produce a number of significant
  benefits for both individual agencies and the
  entire government.So how can your agency use
  XML and XML Web Services on content ranging from
  press releases to the integration of
  large-distributed geo-spatial (map) databases?
  How does the use of XML, VoiceXML, SMIL
  (Synchronized Multi-media Integration Language),
  and SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics) provide
  universal access to content and allow one to
  produce a Digital Talking Book? How can the e-Gov
  initiatives be integrated using XML data exchange
  and XML-based messaging to produce virtual
  centralization without physical replication and
  warehousing of content?In this session you will
  hear and see answers to these questions with
  samples of government content using some of the
  tools, platforms, and best practices based on W3C
  standards that currently exist with the
  assistance of several expert co-presenters. Your
  will also learn about the CIO Council's
  Architecture and Infrastructure Committee's (AIC)
  new Leveraging Technologies Initiative to provide
  assistance to e-Gov Initiatives through incubator
  pilot projects using XML and XML Web Services.

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2. What is XML?

• The simple answer
• eXtensible Markup Language
• The more detailed answer
• a meta language
• text-based and easy to read
• ideal for structured documents
• presentation neutral
• multilingual
• helps integration of business
• Open
• See http//www.softwareag.com/tamino/xml_reasons.h
  tm
• Interesting Perspective
• "What most managers don't know is that all the
  Web application projects of the past 5 years are
  about to become legacy applications because they
  are not based on the new standard, XML. Make sure
  you look into this with your Internet
  applications group."

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2. What is XML?

• A Simple Example of the Benefits of XML-Searching
  for Information
• Most services are invoked by inputting data into
  HTML forms and sending the data to the service,
  embedded within a URL string to match the given
  text strings to catalogued HTML pages
• http//www.google.com/search?qSkatebootsbtnGGo
  ogleSearch
• XML is a better way to send the data
• ltSOAP-ENVBodygt
• ltsSearchRequest xmlnsswww.xmlbus.com/SearchServ
  icegt
• ltp1gtSkatelt/p1gt
• ltp2gtbootslt/p2gt
• ltp3gtsize 7.5lt/p3gt
• lt/sSearchRequestgt
• lt/SOAP-ENVBodygt

Eric Newcomer, 2002 Understanding Web Services,
Addison-Wesley, pp. 4-5.
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3. The Benefits of Structured Content Chunking a
Press Release
Contact
-ltRELEASEgt ltDategt lt/Dategt - ltHeadinggt
ltHeadlinegt lt/Headlinegt ltSubheadgt
lt/Subheadgt lt/Headinggt - ltContactgt
ltNamegt lt/Namegt ltTitlegt lt/Titlegt
ltPhonegt lt/Phonegt ltEmailgt lt/Emailgt
lt/Contactgt - ltBodygt ltPara1gt lt/Para1gt
ltMainBodygt lt/MainBodygt ltClosingParagt
lt/ColsingParagt lt/Bodygt lt/RELEASE/gt
Lynn Cheryan Production Director Tel
301-495-7345 x122 icheryan_at_dev.com
Headline
IDEV Redesigns Web Site For Industry Group
Purchasing Association.
Subhead
Redesigned Web Site intended to Expand the
Resources of the Association Staff.
First Paragraph
IDEV, a full-service Web development and
consulting agency in metro-D.C. Launched the
redesign of the
Tony Byrne, The Siren Song of Structure Heeding
the Call of Reusability, EContent, September 2002.
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3. The Benefits of Structured ContentXML-Enabled
Relational Databases

• Now that Ive got it (XML), where do I keep
  it?
• Relational databases are the dominant mechanism
  for storing and managing structured data.
• All of the major vendors have improved on an
  already available method of storing large chunks
  of data as a means of better supporting XML.
• Because XML documents do not fit neatly into rows
  and columns, relational databases are being
  extended and native XML data stores (NXD) are
  being developed to support SQLXML and XQuery.
• The integration of mixed data types (unstructured
  and structured, relational and XML) requires
  development of a more unified and comprehensive
  data model.

Bill Trippe, XML Hits the Big Time Major
Database Players Get into XML, EContent,
September 2002.
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4. Some Examples of XMLs Promise

• XML 2002 Conference Presenter Tools
• http//www.xmlconference.org/xmlusa/2002/tools.asp
  
• XForms (addresses shortcomings of HTML forms)
• http//www.xml.com/lpt/a/2001/09/05/xforms.html
• SVG (resizability, accessibility, metadata,
  interactive graphics, etc.)
• http//www.adobe.com/svg/workflow/accessibility.ht
  ml
• Government Directory Listings
• http//xml.house.gov/Members/mbr107.xml
• VoiceXML
• http//www.voicexml.org/, http//www.w3.org/Voice/
  
• Web Service (WSDL) Request and Response (SOAP)
• http//www.xmlspy.com/features_soap.html
• Distributed Content Management and Networking
• http//fedgov.nextpage.com/default.htm

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4. Some Examples of XMLs Promise

• Open Standards - Some Definitions
• Opposite to the word proprietary (closed to
  outside development and viewing, closed minded,
  not customer-centric, and slow to change), which
  many consider to be pejorative.
• Better out in the open, open process,
  softwares that can be replaced, and softwares
  that play well with each other.
• Open Source A Case for E-Government Conference,
  Washington, DC, October 16-18th
• Peter Gallagher, President of DevIS Open
  source? Who cares? Open Standards? Yes! Yes!

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4. Some Examples of XMLs Promise

• Open Standards - Process and Organizations
• Standards are judged by the process and
  organization that created them.
• Governments will always be the best place to
  establish a standard that can be enforced by law,
  regulation, and established guidelines of
  conduct.
• The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C)
• Preeminent standards-setting body in the XML
  world - to say its word is the gold currency of
  the industry is an understatement.
• Recommendation is the W3C non-politically
  charged word for standard.
• Three central principles interoperability,
  evolution, and decentralization.
• Key XML Specifications and Standards (ZapThink
  2002) - Over 450 standards in existence with 135
  key specifications categorized by Core XML,
  Document-oriented, Message-Oriented, and
  Community Vocabularies representing eight
  standards organizations. See http//www.zapthink.c
  om/reports/poster.html

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ZapThink XML Standards Poster!Over 135 XML and
Web Services Standards At-a-Glance
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4. Some Examples of XMLs Promise

• Web Services are loosely coupled, contracted
  components that communicate via XML-based
  interfaces
• Loosely coupled Web Services and the programs
  that invoke them can be changed independently and
  are platform independent.
• Contracted a Web Services behavior, its input
  and output parameters, and how to bind to it are
  publicly available.
• Component encapsulated (hidden) code.
• XML-based interfaces described using a standard
  XML notation called its service description.

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4. Some Examples of XMLs Promise

• Imagine an Internet full of Web Services that
  grows and changes organically there is no
  master architect or executive committee who is
  responsible for maintaining the system.
• Its the global self-organizing power of
  technology based on simple, open protocols that
  puts the Web into Web Services.

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5. Some Demonstrations5.1 Federal CIO Councils
Digital Talking Book

• Demonstration
• See the familiar words as text on screen or in
  Braille, synchronized with the narrators voice.
  Navigate forward and backward in the speech using
  computer keystrokes. We have moved from
  standardizing the alphabet to standardizing book
  formats!
• Also called DAISY or NISO Books for the DAISY
  (Digital Audio-based Information SYstem)
  Consortium and National Information Standards
  Organization.
• Well-organized collections of computer files
  produced according to specifications published by
  DIASY and NISO.
• Medium-independent information access based on
  open standards (W3Cs XML and SMIL)
• eXtensible Markup Language.
• Synchronized Multimedia Integration Language.

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5. Some Demonstrations5.1 Federal CIO Councils
Digital Talking Book
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5. Some Demonstrations 5.2 Corel-SoftQuads
XMetal

• XMetaL is an award-winning XML editor that can be
  quickly and cost-effectively customized to allow
  everyone in your organization to create and work
  with XML content.
• XMetaL 3 simplifies the creation of reusable
  business content, making it possible for
  businesses to rapidly streamline the process of
  distributing information to the Web, print and
  other media.
• XMetaL enables you to
• Deliver targeted content quickly to multiple
  channels.
• Reduce the complexity and cost of content
  production.
• Eliminate the need for conversion from other
  formats.

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5. Some Demonstrations 5.2 Corel-SoftQuads
XMetal
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5. Some Demonstrations 5.3 NextPages Triad
(Contenta, NXT 3, and Solo)

• NextPage NXT 3 P2P Platform
• Esther Dysons Release 1.0, 1/22/2002
• NextPage is unique in the content-management
  market in its distributed approach
• NextPages platform, NXT 3, virtually connects
  the distributed information sources and makes
  them appear integrated to the user. Unlike
  syndication, in which content is copied and
  integrated with other content locally, NextPage
  keeps objects where they are.
• NextPage uses the standard simple object access
  protocol (SOAP) to exchange and normalize
  information between local content directories,
  assembling meta-indexes so that users can search
  or manipulate content transparently, regardless
  of physical location.
• Peer-to-peer Every device connected to the
  network is both a server and consumer of content.

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5. Some Demonstrations 5.3 NextPages Triad
(Contenta, NXT 3, and Solo)
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6. Federal CIO Councils XML Web Services
Initiative

• The Federal CIO Council has reorganized its
  Architecture and Infrastructure Committee (AIC)
  to include the CTOs and provide more input into
  policy planning through three subcommittees
• Architecture ongoing maintenance of the federal
  enterprise architecture.
• Component Architecture update and maintain the
  library of hardware and software components used
  by agencies.
• Emerging technologies evaluate and recommend
  new technologies, such as Web Services.

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6. Federal CIO Councils XML Web Services
Initiative

• Mark Forman on Web Services (FGDC Steering
  Committee Meeting, October 9, 2002)
• Some Fundamentals for Our Success in Applying Web
  Services
• 1. Identify common functions, interdependencies,
  interrelationships, and evaluate barriers to
  information sharing.
• 2. Implement in a way that addresses both the
  opportunities and risks of a networked
  environment.
• 3. Leverage technologies to achieve benefits of
  interoperability while protecting societal values
  of privacy and intellectual property rights, etc.

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6. Federal CIO Councils XML Web Services
Initiative

• Architecting Web Services for Government
• Guiding Principles
• Use Open Standards W3C, OASIS, etc.
• Use SCOTS Standards-based Commercial
  Off-the-Shelf Software.
• Use Open Standards Process W3C, OASIS, etc.
• Community vocabulary and XML documents.
• 2 or more successful pilot implementations.
• Recommendation for standardization and
  operationalization.
• Use virtual centralization of distributed content
  with publish, find, and bind for content,
  directory, and description, respectively.

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6. Federal CIO Councils XML Web Services
Initiative

• Architecting Web Services for Government
• The Data Model is the Key!
• Application integration is only part of the
  problem - fundamental data analysis and modeling
  needs to be done to integrate mixed data types -
  unstructured and structured relational and
  non-relational (e.g. native XML databases).
• The real challenge is to develop a more unified
  and comprehensive data model that includes a new
  and complex dimension on an existing problem,
  namely XML.

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6. Federal CIO Councils XML Web Services
Initiative

• Open Collaboration and Standards in e-Gov
• Collaboration Expedition Forums
• Monthly Open Workshops (November 12, December 10,
  and Janauary 14, 2003, planned so far)
• Lotus QuickPlace http//ioa-qpnet-co.gsa.gov/UA-E
  xp)
• XML Web Services
• Lets make sure the e-Gov projects implement
  enough XML Web Services so they are universally
  accessible and interoperable with one another so
  we dont end up with 24 better portals, but still
  stovepipes.
• Regular meetings to select leads for the top 20
  priorities and pilot projects and have them
  report progress.
• The XML Collaborator is the first pilot project
  (see next slides).
• Support from the Industry Advisory Council for
  vendor involvement in the pilot projects
  (http//www.iaconline.org).
• Support from the Web Services Interoperability
  (WS-I) Organization with usage scenarios and test
  tools (http//www.ws-i.org).
• OGCs Open Web Services 1.2 at EPA GIS Day
  November 19th.
• XML 2002 Conference Opening Keynote and Exhibit
  December 10th.

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6. Federal CIO Councils XML Web Services
Initiative

• Combining XML Collaboration and Registry
• The results of the collaboration process
  (finalized structures and/or interfaces) are
  themselves published as work products in a
  registry.
• The architecture provides a core metadata
  tracking database and a series of XML Web Service
  interfaces to that information (see next slide).
• The features provide for
• Collaboration
• Flexibility and ease of use
• Management of the design process
• Registry
• Planned enhancements in future releases
• See XML Collaborator XML Design Collaboration
  and Registry Software, White Paper, September
  2002, 11 pp. at http//www.blueoxide.com/files/xml
  collaborator_wp.pdf

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6. Federal CIO Councils XML Web Services
Initiative
XML Collaborator XML Design Collaboration and
Registry Software
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6. Federal CIO Councils XML Web Services
Initiative

• Standing offer to provide assistance to
• Make legacy databases more accessible and
  interoperable with XML Web Services.
• Build new databases based on open collaboration
  and standards (XML Web Services) that are more
  accessible and interoperable.
• Promote the use of XML Web Services for both
  horizontal and vertical information sharing and
  exchange across multiple levels of government.
• Develop data models that integrate unstructured
  and structured content and relational and
  non-relational (e.g. XML) databases of government
  information that can be used with XML Web
  Services.

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5. Contact Information

• Brand L. Niemann
• Office of Environmental Information (MC 2822T),
  U.S. Environmental Protection Agency,
  202-566-1657, niemann.brand_at_epa.gov,
  http//www.sdi.gov, http//130.11.44.140
• Jay Di Silvestri
• Director of XML Services, Corel, 707-794-7000 ex
  23, jayd_at_corel.com, http//www.corel.com
• Ed Scrivani
• Major Accounts Executive, NextPage, 978-244-0628,
  ed.scrivani_at_nextpage.com, http//www.nextpage.com