eGovernment Interoperability

1
eGovernment Interoperability Seminar
Karl Wessbrandt, the Swedish Administrative
Development Agency Tallinn, Estonia, 17 January
2006
2
Draft program
3
Introduction to the Swedish public sector and
eGovernment

• Background, Structure and eGovernance Approach

4
Swedish Public Sector Structure

• Parliament
• Central government ministries
• Central boards agencies
• Regional level
• Local level

5
IT Governance in Sweden Traditionally, a light
touch Approach

• The Agency for Public Management issued
  optional Guidelines and Recommendationsand
  procured framework agreements for ICT products
  and services
• 2004-2005, the Government Interoperability Board
  had the power to issue Regulations, mandatory for
  Government authorities
• From 2006, these and other coordination tasks
  were merged into Verva, the new Swedish
  Administrative Development Agency

6
Unifying agency for development of the government
administration
7
Priorities for 2006 first year of operations

• Develop an integrated bank of knowledge in
  Vervas area
• of responsibility
• Develop e-administration what comes after the
• 24/7 agency?
• Develop training activities what is the role of
  government officers in an integrated government
  administration?

8
Verva organization chart
9
The four 24/7 e-service levels
10
Current Swedish Information Management status

• Framework agreements for public sector ICT
  products and services
• e-id and secure data transport products
  (SHS/e-Link) and services (Infra service)
  available
• Focus on information syntax (XML structure) and
  on semantics (Terminology and information models)

11
Strong interoperability tradition,
butProprietary solutions bilateral agreements
Joined-up eGov Services
12
Interoperability TomorrowHarmonized resource
discovery and exchange
Joined-up eGov Services
13
Coherent Case Processing
Joined-up eGov Services
standardized messages
Agency A
Service Oriented Support
Stove-pipe systems
Information Content XML Schema, Metadata, Control
led terminology
Web catalog
Agency B
XML-converter
Internet
Secure eLink Transport
Information Management Platform
Infra Services
14
Critical issues success factors for eGovernment
development

• Interoperability levels
• Guidelines issued by the National
  Interoperability Board
• Public Procurement and IT Framework Agreements

15
Barriers to eGov
Source Statistics Denmark, 2002
16
Interoperability perspectives
European Interoperability Framework

• Organisational interoperability
• Semantic interoperability
• Technical interoperability

17
Technical interoperability perspective

• Technical interoperability covers the technical
  issues of linking up computer systems and
  services.
• Open interfaces
• interconnection services
• data integration and middleware
• data presentation and exchange
• accessibility
• security services

18
Semantic interoperability perspective

• Semantic interoperability
• ensuring that the precise meaning of exchanged
  information is understandable by any other
  application not initially developed for this
  purpose.
• Enables systems to combine received information
  with other information resources and to process
  it in a meaningful manner.

19
Organisational interoperability perspective

• Organisational interoperability
• defining business goals
• modelling business processes
• bringing about the collaboration of
  administrations that wish to exchange information
• aims at addressing the requirements of the user
  community by making services available, findable,
  accessible and user-oriented
• May also include legislative issues

20
Interoperability Interfaces
21
2006
2004-2005
22
Interoperability Board Decisions 2004

• 0401 Guidelines for eGovernment Web Sites 2.0
  (usability)
• 0402 Basic guidelines for authorities' use of
  electronic id and signatures (EID)
• 0403 Guidelines for user interfaces to meet
  legal requirements (EID)

www.e-namnden.se
23
Interoperability Board Decisions 2005

• 0501 Guideleines for information exchange using
  standard messages
• 0502 Guidelines for authority reception of
  electronic documents
• 0503 Guidelines for authority regulations of
  electronic services
• 0504 Guidelines for legal information on public
  web sites
• 0505 Guidelines for character sets for writing
  names

24
Seminar Focus on Standard Messages for
Interchange of Records A Concept to Improve
Interoperability
25
Board Decision 20050501 Guidelines for
standard messages

• Standardised information formatting guidance for
  frequently exchanged information sets
• Modular XML Schema Design according to good XML
  practice
• Public availability of Schemas, Documentation and
  Usage Terms required
• Board decision Feb. 2005

http//www.verva.se/web/t/Publication____1337.aspx
26
The Concept

• Facilitate access to public data bases
• Identify frequently requested information sets
• Agree upon Information models and XML schemas
• Develop license conditions to regulate access
  and use of public information
• Publish as open source for free use in the
  public sector and by the IT industry

27
Information co-operation between authorities
Establish a limited set of standard messages for
frequently requested public information sets

• Definition a standard message is a frequently
  required public information set with
• An agreed information model / XML Schema
• A standardised license for access and use
• And is published and available for open use

28
XML-based Standard messages

• Are interfaces between independent processes
• Are identified by process and information models
• Shall be used by several organisations
• Shall consist of re-usable core components

29
Good practice schema structure, designed for
re-use
30
Limitation Standard messages define user
oriented information sets only (i.e. transport
or archiving oriented packages not included)
(Payload)
SOAP with payload
SOAP
Envelope
xmlns

shs
http//www.statskontoret.se/
shs/label
SOAP
Header
E-Link etc.
SOAP Block
SHS version 1.1
SHS
-
Document
SOAP Block
SHS
-
Label
SOAP
Header
SOAP Body
SOAP Block
Payload
SOAP
Body
SOAP Block
Payload
Payload
Payload
Payload
Payload
Payload
Payload
Payload
31
Standard platform for standard messages

• XML 1.0 Second Edition
• XML Schema 1.0
• Namespaces in XML 1.0
• What more is needed?
• Character Set Coding (UTF-8, ISO 8859-1,?)
• Naming Design Rules? (Language, ISO 11179-5,
  ebXML CC, UBL, UML?
• Versioning? (e.g. 1.1.1 Version.Release.Revision
  ?)
• Metadata Guidelines? (e.g. Dublin Core,
  eGovernment extensions?)

32
From Idea to Published Recommendation

• Consultations and workshops with representatives
  from 14 agencies
• Hearing with 12 IT vendors and consultants
• Guidelines developed in co-operation with
  technical and legal consultants
• Referred for consideration (24 replies received)

33
State of ImplementationStandard messaging
projects in planning or progress at

• Tax Board
• County Administrative Boards
• Road Administration
• Companies Registration Office
• Social Insurance Board
• Board of Student Aid
• Six cooperating Cities and Municipalities

34
Some issues remaining to be solved

• Awareness and Motivation
• Project Identification and Funding
• Legal Issues
• Semantic Interoperability

35
Further interoperability board recommendations
36
05 02 Guidelines for authority reception of
electronic documents

• To clear certain basic legal and administrative
  issues
• When should a document be regarded as formally
  received by the authority
• Where is the borderline between information
  service and official acting
• Guidelines for system design
• Board decision May 2005

37
0503 Guidelines for authority regulations of
electronic services

• Guidlines for authorities' formulation of own
  regulations about E-Id use
• Board decision May 2005

38
0504 Guidelines for legal information required
on public web sites

• Provides a survey of different legal requirements
  mandatory for public web sites
• Gives advice on how to structure the information
• Board decision Oct. 2005

39
0505 Guidelines for Character set for writing of
names

• Correct spelling of non-Swedish names with Latin
  script
• Cooperation with central registers
• Possibly one European solution, 233 cap.small
  letters and 43 other char.
• Facilitates European IT-interchange of
  information in todays ortographies
• First proposal for strict principles referred for
  consideration Dec.2004
• Adoption of addendum to Swedish keyboard layout
  standard end 2005
• Keyboard drivers expected 2006
• Board decision Oct. 2005

40
Public procurement of IT Framework Agreements,
e.g.

• Standard Software Products
• IT Consulting
• eID
• SHS (Government eLink)
• Infra Services
• Information Management Standard Software Products

41
The Information Management Functional Model
Enterprise portal
e-mail
registry
Office
Legacy systems
Case handling / workflow management
e-id Govt e-link
Output
Capture
search tools
e-id Govt e-link
e-forms
Presentation/
scanning/
export
Document/content mgmt
ICR
Records management/e-archiving
Modeling, XML, integration tools
Source Statskontoret
42
New information management framework agreement
2006

• 16 vendors get framework agreements, for one or
  several functional areas and software products
  plus product related consulting services
• Eleven functional areas are covered, with at
  least three different products available in each
  area
• Eight vendors also offer integrated product
  suites, covering several functional areas

43
Work in progress and in planning Experience and
results

• In Sweden and Internationally
• Records Management Standards and Guidelines
• Semantic Interoperability work

44
Interoperability Board Work in progress, passed
on to Verva

• Study concerning generic principles for
  authorities electronic information exchange
• Study of supporting methods to introduce standard
  messages (semantic interoperability, information
  modeling)
• Study of electronic invoicing
• Study of XBRL for financial information exchange

45
Electronic Archiving - why is it important?
The importance of providing public access and
long term preservation of electronic information
is a crucial requirement to preserve the Memory
of the Information Society as well as improving
business processes for more effective
government. Short and long term accessibility
and intelligent retrieval of the knowledge stored
in document management and archival systems need
to be guaranteed. Erkki Liikanen European
Commission, Enterprise and Information Society at
the DLM Forum in Barcelona, May 2002.
46
Records Management
Changing conditions Traditional
47
Records Management
Changing conditions the e challenge
Case handling system
Indata
e-form
New e-process Adapted for safe Records
Management?
e-archive
48
Electronic records Legal and Technical Issues

• Original or Copy?
• Authentic Form?
• Physical and logical preservation?
• e-Signature Preservation?
• Carrier, Form, Content?
• Records Registration and Tracking?
• Archival Organisation and Structure?

49
Document vs. Records Management Systems
Source IDA MoReq
50
The Records Management View of standard messages

• XML-based Standard Messages give Records
  Management advantages, e.g
• Records Status becomes more obvious
• Records become easier to identify, validate,
  store, search and view
• Increased systems and vendor independence
• More reliable long term preservation

51
Some Logical e-Document Formats

• Proprietary or tailor-made Data Base records
• Web or e-Forms (proprietary, Word, PDF, XML)
• E-Mail, including Attachments
• Office Documents (proprietary and binary,
  XML-based, open?)
• Scanned Images (TIFF)
• Portable (PDF)
• Structured (SGML, XML)
• Photo, Sound, Moving Pictures
• Maps, Drawings, Graphics

52
International Standardization Organization

• Information and Documentation Records
  Management (ISO 15489-1) Provides guidance on
  managing records
• Dublin Core Metadata Element Set (ISO 15836)
• PDF/A (ISO 19005-1)
• TIFF (ISO 126392004)

53
CEN/ISSS och eGovernment

• CEN/ISSS (Comité Européen de Normalisation/Informa
  tion Society Standardization System) The
  European ICT standardisation body
• Also organizes
• Workshops, producing CWA (CEN Workshop
  Agreements)
• Focus Groups

54
eGovernment Focus Group
CEN/ISSS has created a Focus Group to map the
various activities in the field of eGovernment
standardization and to discuss a roadmap for the
future.
The intention is to deliver a public report with
recommendations and proposals by 2006. The kick
off meeting appointed Peter Brown, European
Parliament/Austria, as Chair, and Luc Van den
Berghe, CEN/ISSS, as Secretary. Funding from
Commission is pending. IDABC cooperation
expected.
55
New Workshop ADNOM
CEN/ISSS launched the CEN/ISSS Workshop "European
Network for Administrative Nomenclature"
(WS/ADNOM). The aim of the Workshop ADNOM is to
establish and maintain a network between European
government translation units, terminology
organizations, etc. with the purpose of
developing and disseminating European
Administrative Nomenclature. Suggest a permanent
organizational platform Demonstrate a prototype
web based infrastructure 2005 project team
financed by DG ENTR
56
Some other Standardisation and collaboration
bodies

• ICA (International Council on Archives)ISAD(G),
  ISAAR(CPF) EAD
• OASIS (Advancement of Structured Information
  Standards)
• EU/IDABC, DLM (Document Lifecycle Management)
• MoReq (Model Requirements for the Management of
  Electronic Records)

57
Semantic Interoperability StrategyXML Clearing
House
58
Semantic interoperability via gateway service
Source IDABC PEGS Infrastructure
59
XML Clearing House Context
The IDA interoperability framework for
pan-European eGovernment services recommends that
for each life event or business episode
considered at a pan-European level, the
corresponding data structures should be made
interoperable. To do so, it is recommended that
Member States publish information on the
services, business processes and data structures
involved agree on the data structures and
dictionaries required at pan-European
level agree on multilateral mapping tables
between the various national and the pan-European
data structures.
60
XML Clearing House Objectives
61
Swedish example from a modeling workshop about
the concept person
62
Swedish Example Termbank of the National Health
Welfare Board
http//app.socialstyrelsen.se/termbank/
63
Recommended readingThe Danish InfoStructureBase
http//isb.oio.dk
64
The Way Forward Next Steps

• Marketing and Training
• Semantic interoperability improvements
• Continue joint Terminology analysis, information
  modelling and schema development to get a generic
  set of eGovernment standard messages
• Produce Controlled Vocabularies for selected
  application areas
• Establish a Public registry
• Define procedures and responsibilities
• Publish Information Models, XML Schemas, License
  Agreements, Case studies, Best practices etc.
• Cooperate with other national and international
  initiatives, standards bodies etc.
• Board of Health and Welfare, CareLink etc.
• IDABC, CEN/ISSS, DLM Forum, ISO, UN/CEFACT, OASIS
  etc.
• Investigate and relieve possible legal problems

65
Working group sessions

• How to improve eGovernment interoperability in
  Estonia

66
Suggested Working group format

• Divide in three working groups
• Appoint a chairperson/presenter per working group
• Discuss possible actions how to further improve
  eGovernment interoperability in Estonia
• In terms of
• Organisational interoperability
• Semantic interoperability
• Technical interoperability
• And in terms of
• Short term urgency
• Long term importance
• Prepare a five minute presentation of the groups
  discussions