Page 16 - GAO-02-327 Electronic Government: Challenges to Effective Adoption of the Extensible Markup Language

Chapter 1: Background: Features and Current
Federal Use of XML

provided. Common tagging systems for electronic information—also
known as markup languages—use labels set off by angled brackets to
show where data elements begin and end: for example, in <label> data
</label>, the second tag includes a slash to indicate that it is a closing tag.

The Extensible Markup Language (XML) is a flexible, nonproprietary set
of standards for tagging information so that it can be transmitted over a
network such as the Internet and readily interpreted by disparate
computer systems. If implemented broadly with consistent data definitions
and structures, XML offers the promise of making it significantly easier for
organizations and individuals to (1) identify, integrate, and process
information that may initially be widely dispersed among systems and
organizations, and (2) conduct transactions based on exchanging and
processing such information—a key element for federal agencies
positioning themselves to provide electronic government services to
citizens and businesses.

In a previous attempt to standardize the process of data exchange, much
effort was spent over many years to develop Electronic Data Interchange
(EDI) standards, which are in use today and will probably continue to be
used alongside XML. However, their use has been largely limited to data
exchanges among large businesses and government agencies, because
implementing EDI generally entails buying customized proprietary
software and setting up expensive, private communications networks.
XML has the potential for broader implementation because it was
designed to take advantage of the Internet’s capabilities and protocols,
which are already in place.

Federal XML projects undertaken to date have varied significantly in size
and scope. In many cases, agencies have used XML to enhance data
exchange within well-defined communities of interest with well-defined
data exchange requirements. In addition, several larger agencies have been
making efforts to define XML-related data standards for larger
communities of interest. For example, the Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) has been working with state environmental agencies to
develop XML data standards for a national network of environmental
information.

Page 12 GAO-02-327 Electronic Government