Report of X3L8 Special Interest Group Meeting

Meeting Notes

X3L8 Special Interest Group Meeting

Held at the National Institute of Standards and Technology

October 15 and 16, 1996

Attendees:

Bruce Bargmeyer, Environmental Protection Agency

Dan Gillman, Bureau of the Census

Alan Goldfine, National Institute of Standards and Technology

William Kenworthey, Jr., Self

Doug Mann, Pacific Northwest Laboratory

Judith Newton, National Institute of Standards and Technology

Phong Ngo, Science Applications International Corporation

Frank Olken, Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory

Burt Parker, MITRETEK

Geoff Steele, Environmental Protection Agency

Dan Gillman chaired the meetings.

The following reports the issues raised and decisions made:

1. Date Standard

Dan Gillman and Bert Parker introduced the date standard

BB to send out Holiday sign-up .

It was agreed to recommend to X3L8 Pleanary that the Date standard as drafted be adopted as the the draft revised american National Standard.

1. ISO/IEC 11179, Part 1, Framework

Dan Gillman is revising Part 1. He will put the new version up on the net and send a message when it is available.

2. ISO/IEC 11179, Part 2 Data Element Classification

Bruce Bargmeyer led a discussion of Part 2. It is desirable to make this part accommodate changes introduced by World Wide Web technology and other advances that have come since this Part was first started. Major questions discussed include:

a. Does classification matter anymore, given powerful indexing middleware?

b. How to represent classification schemes?

c. How to access classification schemes?

d. How to exploit Classification for access?

f. How to deal with classification for data element values?

It is useful to sort out some the issues to clarify the solution space. The relevant standards structure include:

Conceptual Schema Representation Standards: KIF, CG

Data Model standards: IDEF1x, Express, NIAM, ERD

Metadata Content Standard: FGDC, GILS, MARC, Profile

Data Exchange Standards: SDTS, SGML, HTML

Query Languages: SQL, KQML, Z39.50

Distributed systems API: CORBA, Network OLE, DDE, HTTP

The discussion resulted in resolve that we continue the present direction of the paper as a means to capture relevant information from classification schemes and to relate the information to data elements. We do not need to specify particular browsing technology or classification techniques, but should have the basic (evolving) capabilities of these in mind. The scope of Part 2 should make clear the limits of the standard. We should add another "classification" technique, "controlled word list". We should add an informative annex suggesting useful classification schemes. Members are requested to send candidates.

3. Coordination of metamodels

Arising during the classification discussion was a report on various federal efforts to put data and metadata up on the Web. Some of these, such as GILS and FGDC are mandated efforts for all agencies. Each of these have content and/or transfer standards. They could easily become "stovepipe" metadata systems. Some coordination may be accomplished through using MARC and Profiles. This may not be adequate, however. It may be useful to use the X3L8 registry to serve this function. This may be useful to engage a as a new work area. .

4. Draft of new work item on data values

Judith Newton lead a discussion of the new draft of the new work item on Specification of Data Value Domains. She made several changes to advance the concept and to accommodate comments made on earlier drafts. We discussed the potential utility of classification schemes at the value level. We concluded that "Conceptual Domain" should be shown as a "Classified Data Registration Component" in the metamodel. Judy will make the necessary changes in this document to accommodate the change. Members are invited to make comments on this document and to send the comments to Judy.

5. Discussion of Web Pages

Frank Olken has fixed hardware problems that have hindered access to the X3L8 Web pages. Frank said that the meeting notes since April are missing or gibberish. Bruce Bargmeyer will try to provide the necessary files. Burt Parker will put a copy of the Registry Concept paper up on the X3L8 FTP site and Frank and Alan Goldfine will take care of the appropriate links and updates. Frank will send the URL link to the ISO contact. Frank will also make a link to the content of the mailing lists for X3L8-news and SC14-news. Doug Mann will put a copy of the NIAM version of the metamodel on the FTP server. Doug will also send Frank a URL for the ANSI page that enables people to purchase standards. Judy will put up a copy of her IEEE Metadata Conference paper so that a link can be made to it.

Note: We should try to spell out acronyms and give titles to documents in materials that we put up on the Web. We should also add a name and contact point on each document.

In the continuing effort to make things available, we will put documents on the FTP server in native format WordPerfect, MS Word, etc, and also in HTML format. If a person cannot produce a HTML version, he or she should try to produce an ASCII version. The Web pages will contain links to HTML and ASCII documents.

6. Attributes of data element concept -- draft of new work item

Pong Ngo discussed issues encountered in preparing the update to this document. Phong reported that he has contacted other member bodies of SC14 and we are assured that the new work item ballot on this and the data value new work item will pass with adequate participants.

7. Metamodel discussion.

Dan Gillman led a discussion of the metamodel. Dan raised the issue that the metamodel may not cover derived data elements. There is general agreement that we should include this in the metamodel. Where the derivation is very complicated (not to be stored in the registry), the metamodel has an attribute for a document. Where the formula or derivation technique is something that we want to maintain in the registry, we need an attribute somewhere to capture this information. The attributes at the "Representation" level are useful for some but not all of this. A new issue was recorded. Dan Gillman will make some suggestions. We agreed that dimensionality (e.g., length, mass, time, temperature, current) is an attribute of "Property" we should add this to the metamodel.

We agreed that the line from "Conceptual Domain" should be changed from "Administered Data Registration Component" to "Classified Data Registration Component". This means that classification schemes can be utilized at the value level as well as at the Object Class, Property, etc. levels.

8. Revision of "date" standard X3.30

Phong Ngo gave the status of this item.

A proposal for revision of X3.30 was sent to X3 Operation Management Committee (OMC) on June 12, 1996. The OMC is to review and vote on the proposal during the second week of July, 1996. Subsequently, we will issue a press release. Burt Parker will prepare the press release and forward it to Lynn Barra at the X3 Secretariat. Interested parties will be invited to the next X3L8 meeting, in the press release. A point of contact will be included in the press release to give some advance notice of potential new attendees. A second plenary meeting will be required if new members arrive wh want to vote on this revision of the standard. At the next X3L8 Plenary meeting we will draft a revision for the standard. If a second meeting is not required, we expect to vote to release the draft for public review (if the draft is acceptable). If a second meeting is required, the vote will be taken at the second meeting.

Then the X3 Secretariat issues the draft for public review (two months).

Concurrent with public review Phong Ngo will issue 30 day X3L8 ballot, also OMC compliance will be done by X3 Secretariat, and the Secretariat will call for Intellectual Property Rights.

After the 60 day period we will resolve comments (Burt Parker will lead) and formally endorse content at X3L8 meeting (by role call vote), if technical comments are received, we may need a second public review.

The document is then forwarded to the OMC for management review

Finally the standard will be forwarded to ANSI for publication.

Judith Newton attended the last meeting of the Federal Information Resources Management Policy Council (FIRMPOC) Working Group on the Year 2000 and informed them of the revision is underway. There was general acceptance of the YYYYMMDD representation.

9. BSR

We discussed the political and technical intricacies of the BSR effort. We continue to be interested in this work as an implementation of the SC14 work. A meeting with BSR principles will be held August 14 - 16 th in DC. X3L8 members are invited to attend.

10. Future meeting schedule

SIG and X3L8: Note change: September 19-20, 1996 at NIST North (SIG meetings on September 19. X3L8 Plenary is September 20.)

SIG and X3L8: October 15-16, 1996 at Battelle, 2101 Wilson Blvd., Suite 800 Arlington, Va., Courthouse Metro. SIG on October 15 is the SIG and X3L8 Plenary on October 16.

SIG: November 21-22, 1996 at NIST

SIG: December 12-13, 1996 at NIST

SIG: January 23-24, 1997 at NIST

February 26-28, 1997 at Battelle, SIG on February 26-27th and X3L8 Plenary on the 28th.

Directions to NIST North: NIST North is Building 820. The address of this building is 820 West Diamond Avenue. Note that the building is located across the street from the main campus of NIST. Instead of turning onto Bureau Drive toward the main Gate of NIST, turn the opposite direction (North) onto Bureau Drive and take the second possible right turn to get to the NIST North building, The building has the name "NIST" on it in large letters. (From Interstate 270, driving North, take Exit 10, which loops under the freeway, and then turn RIGHT at the first stop light--this is the intersection of West Diamond Avenue and Bureau drive.)

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X3L8 documents, including this meeting report, are available via Anonymous FTP from speckle.ncsl.nist.gov. Change directory to X3L8 (X3L8 in lower case letters) and check the "readme" file for details. Many of the documents are also listed on the X3L8 Home Page URL is "http://www.lbl.gov/~olken/X3L8". If you have questions or comments on this document send email to "bargmeyer.bruce@epamail.epa.gov".