Ken Sall's Big Picture provides a graphical depiction linking to more than 80 XML specifications, with a color-coded scheme indicating their levels of maturity.

The Cover Pages are an extensive source of news and other information on XML standards, products and services.

Metadata Registry Specifications

The power of XML can be realized only if communities of interest are using the same vocabularies. Such XML vocabularies can be shared via a registry/repository containing the appropriate elements of metadata to facilitate discovery, retrieval, and usage.

There are a number of relevant metadata specifications, some emerging and some well-established. The ISO/IEC 11179 family of specifications is one such well-established standard. Information on it and related standards can be found on INCITS' Metadata Standards Technical Committee site.

Information on the XML metadata registry specification developed by the Organization for the Advancement of Structured Information Standards (OASIS) is available on its ebXML Registry Technical Committee site.

Accessibility Guidelines

Section 508 requires Federal agencies to make their electronic and information technology accessible to people with disabilities. The Center for Information Technology Accommodation (CITA), in the U.S. General Services Administration's Office of Governmentwide Policy, has been charged with the task of educating Federal employees and building the infrastructure necessary to support Section 508 implementation. On CITA's site Federal employees and the public can access resources to understand and implement the requirements of Section 508.