XML Community of Practice (xmlCoP)

Meeting Notes

December 17, 2004

This meeting was conducted jointly with the Core Data Types Focus Group (CDT-FG) at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

Mike Daconta, who manages DHS’s Metadata Center of Excellence (MCOE), welcomed everyone and the attendees introduced themselves. As the attendees introduced themselves, Owen Ambur, Co-Chair of the xmlCoP, highlighted the involvement of many of them in the ongoing activities of the CoP, which has previously been known as the XML Working Group (xmlWG).

The status of MCOE action items was reviewed, several of which are of particular interest to the xmlCoP:

· Identify requirements for a set of tools to visualize and harmonize multiple data models.

· Draft a Request for Information (RFI) about such tools.

· Include in the CDT-FG’s charter a glossary with definitions for terms that may be ambiguous or unclear.

Ultimately, the CDT-FG plans to specify a core set of data elements for such broadly cross-cutting concepts as “person” that can be used in a “harmonized” (well-understood and well-coordinated), if not necessarily a rigidly standardized manner across all .gov applications. Mike suggested that core elements should be specified first and then domain-specific element should be specified as nonredundant extensions to the core set. He also cited the IETF model of “working code” and suggested the focus should be on “working schema” (as opposed to theoretical data models).

As a real-world demonstration of utility, Bob Greeves of DOJ proposed that the RFI reference law enforcement data elements specified by the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Department of the Interior (DOI) and challenge vendors to demonstrate the use of their products in harmonizing those elements.

With respect to the CDT-FG’s glossary, Owen suggested it should be coordinated with and considered to be a subset of the glossary the Chief Architects Forum (CAF) plans to begin developing at its January 6, 2005, meeting. Owen also suggested the glossary terms themselves should be rendered on the Web in valid XML instance documents for ease of referencing and reuse in other contexts. In short, proper specification of the XML schema (XSD, i.e., the “working data model”) is key to avoiding needless redundancy, inconsistency, and reinvention of the wheel.

Kevin Williams briefed the group on his XML Collaborator application and demonstrated a few of its features. However, since his laptop was stolen during the night before the meeting, he was unable to provide a full demonstration using the three “person” schema fragments that had been provided by MCOE. Kevin did not provide a copy of his presentation for posting at http://xml.gov/presentations.asp#20041217 However, the presentation he made to the xmlWG on August 18, 2004, is available at http://xml.gov/presentations.asp#20040818 and, more specifically, at http://xml.gov/presentations/blueoxide2/collaborator.htm

Joe Chiusano, a member of the OASIS ebXML Technical Committee, briefed the group on the logical requirements for registration of fine-grained XML artifacts in an ebXML-compliant registry. Fine-grained artifacts (e.g., core XML data elements) are more readily reusable than courser-grained artifacts (e.g., full XSDs, WSDL files, miscellaneous supporting documents, etc.) Joe’s presentation is available at http://xml.gov/presentations.asp#20041217 and, more specifically, at http://xml.gov/presentations/bah3/Fine-GrainedebXML.htm

Mike noted that the next meeting of the CDT-FG is scheduled for January 14.

The next regular monthly meeting of the xmlCoP is scheduled for January 19. The agenda for the xmlCoP meeting will be posted, as usual, at http://xml.gov/agendas.asp and, more specifically, at http://xml.gov/agenda/20050119.htm

Among those who participated in the meeting via teleconference were Rex Books, OASIS Human Markup Technical Committee; Mike Connor, Adobe; and Glenda Hayes of MITRE. Those who registered their physical presence on the xmlCoP attendance list include the following:

LastName	FirstName	OrganizationName
Ambur	Owen	DOI
Berardi	Pier	SAIC
Bornholtz	Tim	ED
Bosley	John	BLS/DOL
Chanacote	Grant	MCOS
Chiusano	Joe	Booz Allen Hamilton
Coxe	Bob	SAIC
Deley	John Paul	EIA/DOE
Embley	Paul	PRG
Gill	Ken	DOJ
Greeves	Robert	DOJ/OJP
Hadden	Lynn	Fairfax County, VA
Hassam	Amin	i411, Inc.
Hyland	Holly	USDOE/FSA
Jackson	Dwayne	SAIC
Jackson	Joab	GCN
Kanwal	Mini	SAIC
McGady	John	Booz Allen
Merkle	Tom	NIJ
Moody	Russ	SAIC
Morgan	Jane	GSA
Morgan	Roy	NIST
Newton	Judith	Ashton Computing
Niemann, Jr.	Brand	SAIC
Rook	Robert	Thomas & Herbert (DHS)
Royal	Marion	GSA
Safran	Sol	IRS
Sall	Kenneth	Silosmashers
Tanner	Craig	IT Pioneers
Triplett	John	IRS
Webber	David	DFAS/XMLGlobal
Williams	Kevin	Blue Oxide

If you have any corrections or additions to these notes, please convey them to Owen_Ambur@ios.doi.gov