Page 34 - GAO-02-327 Electronic Government: Challenges to Effective Adoption of the Extensible Markup Language

Chapter 1: Background: Features and Current
Department of Defense
Federal Use of XML
carry out its mandated functions, including oversight of state-level
programs and administration of national programs. Since 1998, EPA and
the states have been working on developing a National Environmental
Information Exchange Network, using the Internet and standardized data
templates, written in XML, to facilitate the exchange of data among
participating partners. According to EPA officials, the network will be
largely in place in fiscal year 2003, when templates are to be in place for
priority data flows and a large number of the states are expected to be
participating.
In addition, EPA officials report that they have taken steps to promote
uniform internal implementation of XML. The agency established an XML
technical advisory group as a forum for sharing advice and guidance about
implementing XML. The group has focused on education and outreach. In
addition, EPA officials said they are developing an XML registry to support
the agency’s Central Data Exchange facility, which they plan to have
operational in April 2002.
Officials in DOD foresee the potential use of XML in many of the
department’s systems and reported that they are taking action to promote
interoperability of these systems and reuse of XML data components, both
“vertically” within individual projects and “horizontally” across
departmental organizations. Three major efforts—at the Defense
Information Systems Agency (DISA), the Defense Logistics Agency, and
the Department of the Navy—are focused on standardizing the
implementation of XML.
DISA is promoting what officials call a “market-based” approach to
standardizing the use of XML. According to this strategy, DISA will provide
a central data clearinghouse—including an XML registry of standard data
elements, definitions, and structures—where systems developers can
come to share data elements and structures that they have developed or to
locate existing ones that can meet their needs. The registry is designed to
accommodate a number of different levels of compliance for different
applications. DISA officials said they have created distinct domains within
their clearinghouse where specific DOD communities of interest—such as
personnel, finance and accounting, and military intelligence—can define
their unique data structures. The agency has already established this data
clearinghouse and has defined a management process for collecting,
storing and disseminating XML components such as schemas, elements,
attributes, DTDs, and style sheets. According to DISA officials, DOD is
Page 30 GAO-02-327 Electronic Government