Page 35 - 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
considering adopting this clearinghouse, together with the processes for
managing it, for use in all departmental systems.
The Defense Logistics Agency’s Defense Logistics Information Service,
which handles large quantities of information about military logistics, has
been developing a repository of data structures related to logistics.
According to agency officials, the service established an internal XML
working group that initially identified the XML-based data exchange
requirements of its customers and developed standard data definitions and
structures based on those requirements. Officials said that the service is
currently at work identifying its internal needs for an XML registry,
evaluating commercial software tools, and assessing how it should interact
with external systems, such as DISA’s registry.
The Department of the Navy established an XML working group in August
2001 to provide leadership and guidance in maximizing the value of XML
across the Navy. According to Navy officials, the group’s initial activities
have been to develop interim Navy XML policy and prepare an initial Navy
XML developer’s guide. The developer’s guide is currently in draft form
and is planned for official release in the first quarter of 2002. The group’s
goals for the developer’s guide are to provide enough specific guidance to
developers to ensure that they “move in the right direction,” while being
general enough to minimize the chance of conflict with future guidance.
Objectives, Scope, Our objectives were to assess (1) the overall development status of XML
standards to determine whether they are ready for governmentwide use
and Methodology and (2) challenges faced by the federal government in optimizing its
adoption of XML technology to promote broad information sharing and
systems interoperability.
To address our objectives, we reviewed documentation and held
discussions with representatives from the Chief Information Officers
(CIO) Council’s XML Working Group and key experts from the private
sector, including KPMG, the Logistics Management Institute, and
Microsoft Corporation. The XML Working Group is responsible for
planning, accelerating, facilitating, and bringing about effective and
appropriate implementation of XML technology in the information systems
of the federal government. The key experts we contacted from the private
sector are actively involved in one or more XML initiatives that may
benefit the federal government.
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