Doc No: L8/97-
Minutes of the 100th Plenary Meeting
National Committee for Information Technology Standards (NCITS)
L8, Data Representation
The Chair of L8, Phong Ngo, opened the 100th Plenary Meeting of L8 at 10:15 AM on June 20, 1997.
Minutes
Date: Friday, June 20, 1997
Place: Battelle Memorial Institute, 2101 Wilson Blvd., Arlington, VA
Attendees:
SAIC Phong Ngo pxn703@aol.com
Paladin Burt Parker parkerbg@idsonline.com
NIST Judy Newton jnewton@nist.gov
Battelle Doug Mann mannd@battelle.org
EPA Bruce Bargmeyer bargmeyer.bruce@epamail.epa.gov
LBNL Frank Olken olken@lbl.gov
DoD/DISA Alan Peltzman peltzmaa@ncr.disa.mil
1. Administrative Matters
1.1 Review of Minutes of Previous Meeting
The minutes were approved. Motion by Bruce Bargmeyer, second by Burt Parker, passed unanimous.
1.2 Approval of the Agenda
The agenda was approved with minor revisions.
1.3 Membership attendance list and address list
The attendance list was circulated for signature.
1.4 Officers
There is a potential vacancy for the IR position. This will be addressed after the JTC1 reengineering effort has settled.
1.5 Document Distribution
Phong Ngo distributed documents electronically during the time between the meetings. These included the results of X3L8 ballots on the date and time standards and the results of the JTC1 ballot on revision of SC14 revision of Name and Scope. See document list.
2.0 Reports
2.1 Action Items
Burt Parker suggested that we include a "review of action items" during each meeting. In the future, at the end of each meeting, we will review previous minutes to see if there are any action items not addressed in the preceding agenda items.
At this meeting, we reviewed the action items listed in the minutes of the February 1997 L8 meeting. See each section below for the results.
2.2 Report on L8 SIG meetings
Judith Newton reported that the L8 SIG met in March, April, May and June. Major work items included the Time and Date standards; the Metamodel for the Management of Sharable Data; derived data; registry quality assurance issues; Parts 1 and 2 of ISO/IEC 11179; and the JTC1 Workshop on the Registration of Metadata. See below for particulars on each work item.
2.3 Report on SC14/WG4 issues
Bruce Bargmeyer reported that the JTC1 ballot for the new Name and Scope of SC14 was completed. The vote was 11 for, 2 against, and 1 abstention. This information is being sent for consideration during the JTC1 Ad Hoc reengineering meeting to be held in London in June 1997. The L8 comments about the new JTC1 reengineering "Technical Directions" (subcommittee regroupings) were also accepted and forward by SC14 to the Ad Hoc reengineering meeting.
2.4 Report on status of terminology
Doug Mann reported that the SIG agreed that we should make the definitions in the metamodel and consistent with the definitions in ISO 11179. Doug Mann will attempt to do this. This resolves action item 2.3 in the February minutes.
2.5 Report on L8 projects which may be candidates for being transferred to other committees
See Section 3.7, below.
2.6 Report on T1M1 activities
No report. This item will be dropped from the agenda for future meetings.
2.7 Liaison Report on X3H2 activities
No report.
2.8 Liaison Report on X12/EDI activities
No report. The February action item 5.4 remains open we have been unable to find a person to act as liaison with X12
2.9 Proposed liaisons: T2
Doug Mann reported that we have a joint L8 & T2 meeting scheduled. The meeting will be in Seattle August 14 and 15, 1997. Meeting place to be announced. We decided to make he August meeting a plenary meeting for L8. Phong Ngo will send out the appropriate announcement.
3.0 Status of Projects
3.1 Status of Data Element Classification and Attribution Project (X3 Project 399-DT and 400-DT) ISO/IEC 11179 Parts 1-6
Part 1: During the May SIG meeting we resolved the comments that were received on the CD ballot for Part 1. The new version and a document describing the resolution of comments will be forwarded by Dan Gillman to SC14 for processing and issuance of a final CD ballot.
Part 2: Bruce Bargmeyer forwarded Part 2 to SC14 for CD ballot. This completes action item 3.1 from February meeting minutes.
3.2 Status of L8 Metamodel for the Management of Shareable Data (X3.285)
Doug Mann passed out new versions of the metamodel and supplementary material. Doug reported that he restructured the Metamodel write-up to align it with revised regions in the metamodel. This is being done to communicate to a wider audience and invite broader participation. Doug revised the metamodel diagram per changes made in the SIG meetings and prepared new NIAM and IDEF1x versions. He is also preparing a Object Modeling Technology (OMT) version. We discussed the model at the SIG meetings and suggested revisions. Doug said that he would prepare a revised draft for the August L8 meeting. The next version should be nearly ready for public review.
3.3 Status of Date and Time standards proposals
Burt Parker reported that X3.30, Representation of Calendar Date and Ordinal Date, for
Information Interchange has been approved by L8 and forwarded by Phong Ngo for further processing by NCITS. It is expected that the standard will be printed and made available soon.
Alan Peltzman raised issues about X3.30 that are of concern to DoD. Current DoD standards are in accord with the previous (still effective) version of X3.30. That standard contains "ordinal date" as well as the "YYYYMMDD" format specified in the new version of X3.30. DoD is making use of the ANSI standard ordinal date format. Dropping the ordinal date representation from the ANSI standard could require DoD to discontinue the use of ordinal date or to rely on the ISO 8601 for the reference standard. Both options cause problems for DoD. We discussed the issue and described the rationale behind specification of a single date representation for data interchange. Phong Ngo described the accredited procedure through which the standard was developed. We are already near the end of the process. We also discussed several other standards in progress. These could also impact DoD data standards. DoD may become more involved at an early in the data standards development process.
Burt Parker reported on the proposal to create a time standard that combines X3.43, Representation of Local Time of Day for Information Interchange, and X3.51, Representation of Universal Time, Local Time Differentials, and U.S. Time Zone References for Information Interchange. The proposal for the new time standard is out for public review.
Burt Parker put the draft time standard on the FTP site. This completes action item 3.5 from February minutes.
3.4 New work item proposals
ISO/IEC/JTC1 TR NP: Specification of Data Element Concepts: Phong Ngo reported that this New Work Item is out for JTC1 ballot. L8 approved the JTC1 ballot and a YES vote was sent by ANSI to JTC1.
ISO/IEC/JTC1 TR NP: Specification of Data Value Domains: Judith Newton reported that this New Work Item proposal has passed the JTC1 ballot . Judy is working on a new draft to accommodate comments received. She will check with Ronny Elofsson at the SC14 Secretariat for the procedure to most rapidly progress this draft. We would like to ballot it before the next SC14 meeting.
ISO/IEC/JTC1 TR NP: Concept of Operations of a Data Registry: We decided not to forward this document as a New Work Item at this time.
3.5 ANSI standards due for review by L8 in 1996, extended to 1997
See Section 3.3, above, for the status of this item.
3.6 ANSI standards due for review by L8 in 1997
See Section 3.3, above, for status of this item.
3.7 ANSI standards due for review by L8 in 1998
X3.51 Time, revision is underway, see Section 3.3, above.
X3.61, Representation of SI Units. Frank Olken expressed interest in this standard and will compare it to recent work completed by the IEEE. Phong Ngo will send to Frank the necessary paperwork to initiate a revision or to discontinue this standard. Frank will report on this at the August L8 meeting.
X3.145, Hydrologic Unit Codes. Bruce Bargmeyer will check on possibilities for working together with the FGDC and EPA on revising this standard. Bruce will report back at the August L8 meeting.
4.0 IR Activities
4.1 IR Responses to SIS through ITIC and ANSI
We voted YES on the SC14 Name and Scope and voted YES on the transfer of standards as proposed by SC14. Phong Ngo transmitted these votes to the appropriate folks.
4.2 Future international meetings
The next SC14 meeting, scheduled to be held in Korea, is still scheduled pending the outcome of the JTC1 Ad Hoc reengineering meeting.
The 1998 SC14 meeting in the US is still scheduled, pending the outcome of the JTC1 Ad Hoc reengineering meeting. Doug Mann of Battelle has offered to sponsor the US meeting and has sent the required paperwork to NCITS.
4.3 Selection of IR
See Section 1.4
4.4 JTC1 Workshop on the Registration of Metadata
Frank Olken reported on the status of preparations for the Workshop. Speakers are confirmed Work Group leaders selected and participants are tentatively assigned to workgroups. Check the web page for details: http://www.lbl.gov/~olken/EPA/Workshop
4.5 Liaison with SC 31
SC 31 participants have indicated an interest in liaison with L8.
5.0 New Business
5.1 Membership drive
Outreach activities are continuing.
5.2 Future work program
5.2.1 Engaging other industry and standards efforts
We discussed the material distributed by Henry Heffernan and suggestions that he has made about how to best connect the work of L8 to other ongoing industry and standards efforts. We may be able to make significant strides in the areas of health care and terminology. There will be a meeting July 29, 1997 at NIST about terminological issues in data and knowledge sharing. This may be a forum for engaging a new community of interest. The July Workshop on Metadata Registration is also an opportunity to engage a broader audience about L8 standards. This completes action item 5.2, but only begins the work that Henry is suggesting. We also discussed this item at the SIG meeting and will continue to work on applying our work in the healthcare and terminological areas.
The committee takes note that reference implementations are being made of ISO 11179 in the areas of environment, transportation and healthcare. The Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) initiative is drafting an IEEE data dictionary standard based on ISO/IEC 11179. We also take note of the recent resolution of ISO TC 204, Road Transport Informatics, to adopt ISO 11179 for all transportation dictionaries.
5.2.2 Metadata Coalition
The US Metadata Coalition has contacted the Chair of L8 to exploring establishing liaison between the two efforts.
5.2.3 Scope and title of L8
Given the increased scope of the L8 efforts we want to reevaluate the L8 scope and title. Phong Ngo will investigate the procedures necessary for a revision effort and Burt Parker will prepare a draft of a new scope and name for the work of L8.
6.0 Future Meeting Schedule
L8 Special Joint Meeting with X3T2 August 14 & 15, 1997 in Seattle
SIG, September 25 & 26 at NIST
SIG, October 22-23, 1997, Plenary October 24, 1997 at Battell
SIG, February 18 & 19, 1997 Plenary February 20, 1998 at ITI
7.0 Adjournment
The meeting adjourned at 12:40 with a vote of appreciation to Battelle Memorial Institute and Douglas Mann for hosting the meeting.
At the conclusion of the meeting we celebrated the completion of the 100th meeting of L8. Special thanks and appreciation go to Phong Ngo, who brought cake and Champaign for the celebration.