Page 53 - GAO-02-327 Electronic Government: Challenges to Effective Adoption of the Extensible Markup Language

Chapter 3: The Federal Government Faces
Challenges in Realizing XML’s Full Potential

not been registered. For example, the XML projects at Justice and SEC
cited previously had not been registered at that time.

On its Web site, the XML Working Group noted that in developing an
evolving strategy for the effective usage of XML, it faced a number of
constraints and conditions, including very limited resources and the fact
that it is not a policy-making body and has no operational responsibilities.
According to a statement at xml.gov, the Web site itself is intended to be
the embodiment of the working group’s strategic plan. Because of the
working group’s constraints, the Web site does not provide specific
guidance to agencies for implementing XML, participating in XML
standards bodies, or incorporating XML requirements into enterprise
architectures.

NIST, along with GSA, has developed a Web-based standards road map, to
provide users with access to information regarding existing and emerging
XML standards and activities related to electronic commerce. The
standards road map allows users to identify standards information
relevant to their individual projects and assess the applicability, maturity,
and product availability associated with those activities. The tool can be
accessed from the XML Working Group Web site or at
www.nist.gov/roadmap. Although the standards road map has the
potential to be a useful tool for promoting systems interoperability, it is
still a work in progress because the standards are rapidly evolving. For
example, technical specifications for UDDI are currently not in the
standards road map.

OMB officials told us that, as part of the annual budget preparation
process, they have taken steps to encourage agencies to use XML
consistently and share their development plans with other agencies.
Specifically, according to the OMB officials, federal agencies that request
funding for XML-based initiatives are instructed to (1) determine whether
an implementation approach has already been developed in private
industry that can be emulated to meet the agency’s needs, and (2) submit
their activities for listing on the xml.gov Web site so that other agencies
can be made aware of their plans. Further, OMB officials said they discuss
with agency officials the importance of updating sections of the agency’s
enterprise architecture—specifically the standards profile and technical
reference model—to reflect their XML plans. As discussed previously,
OMB has established a standard for success in the area of expanding e-
government by calling for agencies to minimize burden on business by re-
using data previously collected or using ebXML or other open standards to

Page 49 GAO-02-327 Electronic Government