EForms for EGov: Status and Evolution to a Line of Business

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E-Forms for E-Gov Status and Evolution to a Line
of Business

• Briefing for Robert Haycock,
• Manager, Federal Enterprise Architecture Program
  Management Office and Co-Chair of the AIC
  Governance and Components Subcommittees
• by the
• Emerging Technology Subcommittee
• and the XML Web Services Working Group
• June 9, 2003

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Overview

• 1. Basic Pilot
• 2. Registry and Collaboration Support
• 3. Advanced Pilot
• 4. Operationalization by Business Compliance
  One-Stop
• 5. Adoption as a Quick Win by the Components
  Subcommittee
• 6. The Emerging Technology Subcommittees
  Emerging Components Conference

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1. Basic Pilot

• Requested by OMB in December 2002.
• Launched in February 2003.
• Collaborative community developed in March 2003,
  lead by Rick Rogers
• http//www.fenestra.com/eforms/
• Three monthly meetings and deliverables
• Ten subteams (XML Schema very active).
• Six forms selected and two briefing papers.
• Session/Tutorial at the FedWeb Spring 03
  Conference.
• Being done without funding.

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2. Registry Collaboration Support

• XML Design Collaboration and Registry Software
• Four of the top nine priorities of the new XML
  Web Services Working Group were to develop a
  registry and collaboration facility for Web
  Services in support of e-Gov.
• Pilot launched in December 2002 at the XML 2002
  Conference by Kevin Williams.
• http//www.blueoxide.com/Pages/xmlcollaborator.htm
  l
• Supports most other pilots (E-Forms, Federated
  Data Management, etc.).
• Graduated with High Honors at the May 15th
  Working Group Meeting.
• Lots of interest and involvement with GSA/NIST
  Registry, individual agencies, software vendors,
  etc.
• Shows how components-based, services-oriented
  architecture relates to the five FEA Reference
  Models! (see next slide)
• Being done without funding.

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2. Registry Collaboration Support

• Example Show me all the data structures that
  have been classified as part of the Business
  Compliance One-Stop Initiative and as a work
  product of the IRS
• Data and Information Reference Model the data
  structures themselves (e.g. data dictionary)
• Service Components Reference Model expressed as
  a reusable component (e.g. XML Schema)
• Technical Reference Model provided in an
  interoperable way (e.g. an XML Web Service) .
• Business Reference Model classified according
  to a taxonomy (e.g. Business Reference Model
  Version 2).
• Performance Reference Model Doing all this
  demonstrates performance!

Source Kevin Williams, Creating Taxonomies in
XML Collaborator, Presentation to the XML Web
Services Working Group, April 15, 2003.
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2. Registry Collaboration Support

• CollabNet
• Roots in the Apache Software Foundation and Open
  Source.
• SourceCast Enterprise collaboration platform
  targeting software development deployment.
• Integrates Structured Exchange (XML), Process
  Collaboration, and Free-form Interaction.
• Value proposition to the FEA Benefits of Open
  Source Process.
• Pilots
• Launched at March 17-19th Open Standards for
  E-Gov Conference by Mike Kochanik and Brian
  Belendorf.
• http//www.collab.net
• DISA (Dawn Meyerriecks)
• About 100 participants collaborating on about 30
  projects to produce Horizontal Fusion across
  the organization.
• Slated to become the DOD Registry and the DHS
  Registry?!
• Canadian Government Pilot (Joseph Potvin)
• Users never know what they want .. until they
  can see what they will get.
• Partners with BlueOxides XML Collaborator!
• Move Commerces GIDS (Fenestra) into the Open
  Source Process.

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2. Registry Collaboration Support
Common Content Linked by XML Web Services

• Types of Registries(1)
• ISO 11179Registries
• OASIS/ebXMLRegistries
• UDDIRegistries
• OntologicalRegistries
• Database Catalogs
• Software Component Registries
• CASE Tool Repositories

• Pilot Projects with Registries
• XML Design Collaboration and Registry Platform
• XML Design Collaboration and Registry Platform
• XML Design Collaboration and Registry Platform
  and Tamino
• Open Standard Ontology Tool and Platform (Topic
  Maps)
• Various (MetaMatrix, etc.)
• Various (CollabNets SourceCast, etc.
• Various (GIDS, etc.)

(1) Source Eliot Christian, USGS, based on work
of ISO/IEC JTC1/SC32 Data Management Subcommittee
chair, Bruce Bargmeyer (NIST, EPA, LBL).
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3. Advanced Pilot

• Requested by E-Gov Program Managers.
• Launched May 2nd with 12 vendors.
• Phase 1 delivered on June 2nd
• Followed XML Web Services standard and
  architecture (see next slide).
• Components Registry and Repository Templates
  (based on UDDI Business Registry) completed by
  eight vendors.
• Minutes and assessment results.
• Done without funding.
• Realized this could be the model for E-Gov Lines
  of Business if enough vendors participate!

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3. Advanced Pilot
WSDL Document

• 1. Client queries registry to locate service.
• 2. Registry refers client to WSDL document.
• 3. Client accesses WSDL document.
• 4. WSDL provides data to interact with Web
  service.
• 5. Client sends SOAP-message request.
• 6. Web service returns SOAP-message response.

UDDI Registry
2
3
1
4
5
Client
Web Service
6
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3. Advanced Pilot

• Assessment Results (draft)
• The vendors efforts to implement the XML Web
  Services standards for E-Gov Initiatives were
  received very positively!
• The work in the basic pilot to produce XML Schema
  for government forms should be accelerated and
  the work to consolidate and harmonize data
  elements across government forms should be done
  (e.g., see section 4). The latter is of critical
  importance due to the GPEA deadline October 1,
  2003.
• Registries and repositories built into operating
  systems, software applications, and collaboration
  tools can be populated with XML standards-based
  vendor applications and federated with XML Web
  Services (without centralized control).
• A second phase to demonstrate inclusion of
  authentication/identity management and
  interoperability across vendors should be
  strongly considered.
• The business community needs a marketplace forum
  in which to promote their open standards-based
  components and attract government innovation
  research and venture capital funding.

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4. Operationalization by Business Compliance
One-Stop

• Business Compliance One Stop Revised Business
  Case, April 20, 2003
• Regulatory Reform is just as important as tax
  reform for strengthening the economy
• Three Proposed Strategies for Reducing Regulatory
  Burden
• Make SBA the Advocate for Regulatory Burden
  Reduction.
• Implement E-Forms for Major Industries.
• Implement Compliance Assistance Tools.
• Common Elements of Each Alternative
• E-Forms (like an Intuits Turbo Tax).
• Customer Agent.
• Partnership.

Richard J. Varn, President, RJV Consulting, Des
Moines, Iowa.
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4. Operationalization by Business Compliance
One-Stop

• Four Pilot Projects Recommended for the Business
  Compliance One Stop Revised Business Case
• XML Collaborator.
• E-Forms for e-Gov The Use of XML Standards-based
  Applications.
• Collaboration and CoSourcing Designing
  Intergovernmental Services and Sharable
  Components (CollabNet).
• XML Data Exchange Across Multiple Levels of
  Government Using Native XML Databases (contains
  UDDI Registry) (Software AG).
• EPA-State Environmental Information Network also
  planning to use.
• Others that have application
• The MetaMatrix System for Model-driven
  Integration with Enterprise Metadata.
• Cognitive Topic Map Web Sites-Aggregating
  Information Across Individual Agencies and E-Gov
  Initiatives.
• Tutorials and Training Materials Are Available.
• FedWeb Spring 2003, May 5th (to be rescheduled).
• E-Gov 2003 Conference, June 9th.

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5. Adoption as a Quick Win by the Components
Subcommittee

• In support of our discussion at the June 5th
  meeting, I provided supporting information as
  follows
• Part 1 - XML Web Services Working Group
  Activities Report 6 to the AIC (description of
  the pilot projects and their mapping to the
  Subcommittees).
• Part 2 - Components Activities of the Emerging
  Technology Subcommittee presented to the Two
  Subcommittees and the AIC on April 17th
  (description of the pilot process and status).
• Part 3 - Pilots to Assess Readiness of XML Web
  Services for E-Gov Initiatives (opening
  presentation for June 2nd event at the White
  House Conference Center that includes Web
  Services as a component-based, service-oriented
  architecture)
• Note June 2nd minutes were posted to QP last
  week.
• Part 4 - Components Registry and Repository
  Template for XML Web Services Pilots (based on an
  extension of the UDDI Business Registry (UBR) and
  its XML Schema and completed by eight vendors so
  far).

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5. Adoption as a Quick Win by the Components
Subcommittee

• In support of our discussion at the June 5th
  meeting, I provided supporting information as
  follows (continued)
• 1. The "E-Forms for E-Gov" Pilot collaborative
  community, process, and results to date are
  documented at http//www.fenestra.com/eforms.
• 2. Richard Varn, Consultant to OMB and the
  Business Compliance One Stop E-Gov Initiative and
  Author of the Revised Business Plan, will be
  presenting at the E-Gov 2003 Conference on
  Tuesday, June 10th, 245-4 p.m., in the "New
  Business Models to Advance Public/Private
  Collaboration" (Session 4-3).
• 3. I will be presenting a tutorial at this same
  conference on Monday, June 9th, 9 a.m.-12 noon,
  "Web Services - The Path to Business Value"
  (Session T-4) that includes the "E-Forms for
  E-Gov" Early Results and Business Case Outcomes.
  The latter tutorial is already posted at
  http//web-services.gov under Upcoming Meetings
  and Presentations, June 9-12, 2003.

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6. Emerging Technology Subcommittees Emerging
Components Conference

• Received support from FEAPMO and the AIC in
  mid-April.
• Launched Web site and registration in early May
  in cooperation with George Washington University
• http//www.componenttechnology.org
• Re-focused the Conference within the Emerging
  Technology Subcommittee and in cooperation with
  IAC and the SBAs Small Business Innovation
  Research in late May.
• Structured the agenda to capitalize on the June
  2nd success.
• The small vendors are honored to participate and
  the large vendors dont want to be left out so a
  more level playing field is created.
• Invite vendors to relate how participation and
  partnering have benefited them (e.g.
  ObjectBuilders, Digital Evolution, etc.).
• Vendors need to see a way to attract funding for
  the near-term, mid-term, and long-term for E-Gov
  business to be viewed as a viable, and
  sustainable activity.

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6. Emerging Technology Subcommittees Emerging
Components Conference

• June 26, 2003 Workshop at SBA, 830 a.m. 200
  p.m.
• Agenda
• 830 AM Welcome and Introductions Who is Here?
  Who is Missing?
• 900 AM Needs Context and Framing Principles for
  Coordinated Actions
• 930 AM Sharing Perspectives Envisioning the
  Possibilities to Bring What's Needed to Light
  Phase I (FEA and SBIR)
• 1030 PM Break
• 1100 AM Sharing Perspectives Envisioning the
  Possibilities to Bring What's Needed to Light
  Phase II (Examples of Components)
• 1230 PM Lunch
• 130 PM Sharing Perspectives Envisioning the
  Possibilities to Bring What's Needed to Light
  Phase III (Next Steps)
• 200 PM Wrap-up