Extensible Markup Language (XML) 101

1. Extensible Markup Language (XML) 101 David Wallace Corporate Chief Technology Officier Management Board Secretariat Ontario Government

2. Summary of Document • The Challenges of eGovernment • Information Management context • What is XML • Why XML

3. Why is eGovernment a Priority? • Enhanced service • Enhanced accountability • Reduced cost /increased effectiveness • Transformed public sector systems • Increased economic growth • Enhanced relevance

4. Bottom-line…. • All levels of government are working hard on using Information and Information Technology (I&IT) to improve the services they provide to their clients • We all must work together to that common goal • We also need to share experiences and learn from each other about best practices in e-government and Electronic Service Delivery (ESD)

5. But what does this mean to business? …and what does this mean to Information Management and Information Technology?

6. A Modern View of Information “The Government of Canada is in the information business. All of the services that we provide to citizens, to businesses, and to internal clients are about information in one way or another. The provision of information is often the service itself. On the other hand, transactional services are defined by information - what are the criteria for a specific grant, what is the process for applying for a passport and what information is needed? Transactional services also generate information - when did someone file their taxes? Who approved this project? Fundamentally, most government activities are about managing information.” - Framework for the Management of Information

7. A Common Language is Needed • eGovernment and Electronic Service Delivery (ESD) cannot succeed without a “common language” • ESD strategy is dependent on Information Management (IM) as the basis of interchanges with our clients - the public, other governments and with private industry • These interchanges need to be based on eXtensible Markup Language (XML)

8. IM is an Enabler of Transformation • IM and client-centered design • IM strategies for consistency, accuracy, “findability” • Designing interfaces for use (information architecture) • Approaches to measuring results • Government of Canada IM approaches • “Whole of government” challenges • Government On-Line initiative • Using Dublin Core metadata • IM and Electronic Service Delivery • Using XML and Semantic Web technologies for interoperability and interjurisdictional collaboration • Moving towards national standards

9. IM and User-centered Design Approach • Understand your business context • Organizational goals and objectives • Resource constraints • Understand your content • What is the scope of your content domain? • Structured or unstructured information? • What are the processes for content creation and management? • Understand your users • Who are they? • What are their needs, their goals? • What are their information-seeking behaviours? • What are their expectations for services?

10. Jurisdictions Provider Organizations Client Organizations Governance Outcomes & Impacts Programs Accomplish Services Individual Clients Accountability Roles Outputs Deliver Responsibility Processes Authority Used in Resources Government Service Reference Model – Core to A Common Understanding of Services

11. XML - A Definition • XML is a set of rules, guidelines and conventions for designing text formats for such data, in a way that produces files that are easy to generate and read (by a computer) • XML text formats are unambiguous, avoiding common pitfalls such as lack of extensibility, lack of support for internationalization/localization, and platform-dependency

12. XML From A Business Perspective… • XML allows for an efficient and consistent interchange of data • XML can be “marked up” into descriptions of things, such as transactions • It has evolved and is “real” enough now to be considered as “just there” and a commodity • XML is to the information world as TCP-IP is to Internet and makes inter-operability a reality

13. XML Enables… • XML is the engine of e-Business and e-Government transformation • XML enables: • Application-to-application integration • Database-to-database synchronization • Cross-organizational workflows & e-processes • It is the “glue”

14. Benefits of XML • Short Term • Define data messaging standards for the Common I & IT gateway • Medium Term • Provide an standards based means for capturing, classifying and transforming data • Establish application independent data • Establish device and platform independent solutions • Provide a standards based transformation engine for re-engineering • Long Term • Enable ‘plug and play’ where government transactions and information delivery can be dynamically assembled to meet the context of the client • Provide Customers choice in how, when and where they interact with government

15. How does XML enable collaboration and interoperability • XML provides the “language” for the Common “I” in Common Information & Information Technology (I&IT) • Setting standards for common data elements and common meta data now will: • enable enterprise wide integration and navigation in the future • Prevent to time consuming and costly efforts of retrofitting existing applications to comply to corporate standards • Enable both Microsoft and JAVA based components to interoperate and thereby reduce technology risks • Lay the foundation for future service delivery and program specific extensions to the provinces IM framework • XML is here and now!!!

16. XML is Foundation for Collaboration and Inter-operability – technical perspective • W3C XML schema Standards (http://www.w3.org/XML/) • US, UK and EU have developed or are developing IM based interoperability frameworks for eGovernment • Private Sector Standards nearing maturing for: • Business to Consumers (Customer Profile, name & addressing, etc…) • Business to Businesss (Invoices, Purchase Orders, Contracts, etc…) • Next generation interoperability approaches and standards are emerging – for example: • ebXML is setting standard for seamless electronic business through XML • Web Services is a set of interoperable standards based on XML • Service Oriented Architecture is an enterprise approach to collaboration and interoperability

17. e-Government Collaboration Scenario (Ontario Example) Build ebXML Registry Define Service Service Discovery Negotiation e-Gov Transactions

18. Basic Assumptions for Using XML • Transformations from standardized messaging language to program-ready data is the responsibility of the program owner • XML must support multiple service providers • XML solution must delivers complete transactions • Online presentation is not part of the transaction definition schema • XML Services must comply with W3C technical standards

19. Planned Pan-Canadian Taxonomic Architecture (XML Subcommittee) Public Service Transact Schemas Public Service Transact Schemas Public Service Transact Schemas Public Service Transact Schemas Public Service Transact Schemas Public Service Transact Schemas Public Service Transact Schemas Public Service Transact Schemas Public Service Transact Schemas Public Service Transact Schemas Common Schemas Health Common Schemas Education Common Schemas Documents Common Schema Public Safety Common Schemas Security International Standard Schemas: I.e. Dublin Core, GML, HL7/CDA Canadian Service Description Markup Language: Address, Party, Jurisdiction, Program, Services, etc. International Common Data Elements Schemas I.e. CIQ, XNAL, XAL, ..

20. Thank You Contact Information: Dave Wallace 416-327-4108 dave.wallace@mbs.gov.on.ca Norman Lee 416-327-6772 norman.lee@mbs.gov.on.ca