Page 8 - GAO-02-327 Electronic Government: Challenges to Effective Adoption of the Extensible Markup Language

Executive Summary

to continue in use alongside XML. However, EDI use has been largely
limited to data exchanges among large organizations, 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 requires less
customization and uses the Internet’s data communications infrastructure,
which is 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 has been working with state environmental agencies to develop
XML data standards for a national network of environmental information.

Results in Brief While XML’s technical standards—such as specifications for tagging,
exchanging, and displaying information—have largely been worked out by
commercial standards-setting organizations and are already in use, equally
important business standards are not as mature and may complicate near-
term implementation. For example, standards are not yet complete for
(1) identifying potential business partners for transactions, (2) exchanging
precise technical information about the nature of proposed transactions so
that the partners can agree to them, and (3) executing agreed-upon
transactions in a formal, legally binding manner. Many standards-setting
organizations in the private sector are creating various XML business
standards, and it will be important for the federal government to adopt
those that achieve widespread acceptance. However, it is not yet clear
which business standards meet this criterion. In addition, key XML
vocabularies tailored to address specific industries and business activities
are still in development and not yet ready for governmentwide adoption.

Given that a complete set of XML-related standards is not yet available,
system developers must be wary of several pitfalls associated with
implementing XML that could limit its potential to facilitate broad
information exchange or adversely affect interoperability, including (1) the
risk that redundant data definitions, vocabularies, and structures will
proliferate, (2) the potential for proprietary extensions to be built that
would defeat XML’s goal of broad interoperability, and (3) the need to
maintain adequate security. In addition to these pitfalls, which all systems
developers must address, the federal government faces additional

Page 4 GAO-02-327 Electronic Government