Page 17 - GAO-02-327 Electronic Government: Challenges to Effective Adoption of the Extensible Markup Language
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Chapter 1: Background: Features and Current
Federal Use of XML
Standardized Data Identifying, exchanging, and integrating information from different and
perhaps unfamiliar sources are functions that are essential to the effective
Tagging Facilitates use of networked information for a wide range of goals, including the
Information Exchange provision of electronic government services. Federal agencies exchange
data with many external entities, including other federal and state
among Disparate agencies, private organizations, and foreign governments. For example,
Systems federal agencies routinely use data exchanges to transfer funds to
contractors and grantees; collect data necessary to make eligibility
determinations for veterans, social security, and Medicare benefits; gather
data on program activities to determine if funds are being expended as
intended and the expected outcomes achieved; and share weather
information that is essential for air flight safety.
If a data exchange does not function properly, the data being received by a
computer system could cause it to malfunction or produce inaccurate
results, or the data may not be received at all. However, because systems
providing information to an organization are frequently external or were
developed for other purposes, they may structure and format the needed
information in incompatible and unpredictable ways, making data
exchange problematic. Effective data sharing among computer systems
faces many problems, including
• incompatible operating systems and hardware platforms,
• incompatible computer applications written in different programming
languages,
• inconsistent or poorly developed data definitions, and
• incompatible data transmission protocols.
Without predefined standards in place, systems developers may need to
define in detail the precise steps to be taken to carry out the exchange of a
set of data, and these definitions must be encoded in the software and
hardware of both transmitting and receiving systems—a potentially
complex, time-consuming, and expensive process.
In contrast, if standards are in place for how data are structured and
tagged, it can be more efficient and less expensive to develop interfaces,
and as a result data exchange can be facilitated. A hypothetical state
driver’s license system offers a good conceptual example of the potential
benefits of a data tagging standard for (1) interfacing disparate systems
and (2) locating and sharing data among these systems. In processing an
application for a driver’s license, a state government agency might want to
consult a number of local, state, or federal databases before issuing or
renewing the license, including records of residency, traffic violations,
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