Report of October X3L8 Special Interest Group Meeting

Meeting Report

National Committee for Information Technology Standards, L8, Special Interest Group

Held at the National Institute of Standards and Technology

October 22-24, 1997

Attendees:Bruce Bargmeyer, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Tim Boland, National Institute of Standards and Technology

Phillip Cykana, Department of Defense

Larry Fitzwater, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Elizabeth Fong, National Institute of Standards and Technology

Dan Gillman, Bureau of Census

Henry Heffernan, EDPNS

William H. Kenworthey, Jr., Self

Tom Kurihara, National Institute of Standards and Technology

Douglas Mann, Battelle

John McCarthy, Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory

Judith Newton, National Institute of Standards and Technology

Phong Ngo, Science Applications International Corporation

Frank Olken, Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory

Burton Parker, Paladin Integration Engineering

Revere D. Perkins, Meta4, Inc.

Tom Rhodes, National Institute of Standards and Technology

Tom Wason, University of North Carolina

Judith Newton and Dan Gillman chaired the meetings. The following reports the issues raised and decisions made:

1. Terms and Definitions

Doug Mann and Dan Gillman reported that they spent two days harmonizing terms and definitions throughout all six parts of 11179 and ANSI DpANS X3.285. They will provide the results to Judy Newton and others so that they can include the terms in ongoing work. The agreed upon terms are in the current (October 13, 1997) version on X3.285, which is on the L8 FTP server.

2. Need for API

At the IEEE Metadata conference, Arnie Rosenthal of MITRE pointed out that the ISO 11179 standard lacks an API. The group discussed the potential for preparing one. There are several considerations that we need to take into account before deciding to prepare such a standard. These include the technical resources, the definition of an "API" (different flavors are favored by different communities), the appropriate standards forum for progressing the work, etc.

3. DoD Shared Data Environment presentation

Phillip Cykana, of DOD/DISA Center for Computer Systems Engineering gave a presentation about and demonstration of the Defense Information Infrastructure, Shared Data Environment (SHADE). This is for the Common Operating Environment (UNIX platform). Phillip showed us how data elements are organized and distributed to potential users such as system developers.

There was considerable discussion during and after Phillip's presentation. The SHADE system works together with the Defense Data Dictionary System, which has about 12,000 data elements. He derives current data values from various sources, including the X12.3 database. SHADE uses datatype, field length and value set from DDDS. Recording and updating information about data elements also involves work with DoD Functional Data Administrators. There are about 1600 data elements from EDI messages (transaction sets) in recorded in the DDS. Capturing data elements from EDI transaction sets can be complex. Much of the information is contained in Implementation Guides and Implementation Conventions.

4. Instructional Management System (IMS) use of ISO/IEC 11179

Tom Wason described work underway to develop an IMS for instructional information to be made available over the Web. The Instructional Management Systems Project, an Educom NLII initiative, is developing a specification and software for managing online learning resources. Learning resources can include people, educational service companies, content, tools, and activities. Educom National Leaning Infrastructure Initiative (NLII) consists of a coalition of approximately one hundred higher education institutions, publishers, hardware and software companies, and state policy organizations. The IMS concept includes distribution of "containers" of educational material such as HTML pages, text, video, graphics, etc. Metadata is needed to describe the contents of the container and possibly the type of container. The metadata may evolve over time and the metadata may be extended for different users or uses. Therefore, need a dictionary of metadata attributes, which may change over time. ISO/IEC 11179 is being utilized in the development of the IMS. We discussed various aspects of how 11179 can be utilized. See: http://www.imsproject.org/metadata/ or http:/www.imsproject.org/technical/

We decided to meet together with IMS project members at the next L8 SIG meeting to discuss the application of ISO/IEC 11179 and DpANS x3.285 in the IMS project.

5. EDI

Regina Girouard from DISA joined us by phone to discuss X.12 developments The X.12 Strategic Implementation Task Group (SITG) has committed to develop a plan for to how to "get there" for the next generation of EDI. Another workgroup will validate the plan. See website www.disa.org, pull down national development box, select subcommittee, then strategic implementation task group. The UN EDIFACT AC.1 work is a parallel effort to SITG (X.12). We discussed reestablishing liaison between X.12 and L8 X.12 sees its role as defining content, not limited by particular exchange technologies. Harry Fetherstone is the head of the SITG. X.12 is also looking at XML for potential use in EDI.

There are difficulties that arise from the current situation where data elements are defined and described in a number of places including transaction sets, implementation guides and/or implementation conventions. EDI needs a new paradigm. Some of the Implementation guides are available on the web from various sites. The EDI data element dictionary is 12.3 with segments recorded in 12.22. To get 12.3 and 12.22 talk to Tim Cochran at DISA x163.

7. ISO/IEC 11179

Dan reported that he is accommodating the changes in terminology described above and then will send Part 1 for final CD. Bruce Bargmeyer will send Part 2 to the SC32 secretariat for circulation for final CD.

The ballot is out for CD registration and CD status for the Data Value Domain document. The SIG recommended that the L8 Plenary pass the CD with comments. Comments were provided to Judy Newton.

8. Metamodel for the Management of Shareable Data - DpANS X3.285

Doug Mann has revised to include the resolution of terminology issues as described above. The SIG recommended that the Plenary vote the revised X3.285 out for public review. Doug has put the new version up on the L8 FTP site.

9. Date and Time

3.3.1 Revised X3.30, Representation of Date for Information Interchange

Burt Parker reported on the status of this work item. We discussed the committee's response to comments. The SIG recommends that the Plenary vote to send out the response to comments. Recipients have 20 days to respond.

3.3.2 Project X3.310, Representation of Time for Information Interchange superseding

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

Burt Parker reported on the status of this work item. The SIG recommended that the L8 plenary vote to approve the committee's response to comment and forward the standard to NCITS after the 20-day period.

10. Future meeting schedule

L8 SIG, November 19^th and 20th at NIST North

L8 SIG, December 17 and 18 at NIST or NIH

January 21 - 23 backup at NIST North. BEB to try to get Downtown site.

SC 32 planning meeting February 23-25 at NIST, Lecture Room C.

SC14 WG1 joint meeting with SC30 WG1 proposed for February 18-20 1998, in conjunction with the SC 32 planning meeting.

X3L8 SIG and Plenary meetings, February 18-20, 1988 at ITI (If not held in conjunction with SC30/WG1, as above.

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. Log in as anonymous, use your email address for a password, Change directory to X3L8 (X3L8 in lowercase letters). Read the "readme" file for a listing of filenames and a brief description of each file. Many of the X3L8 and SC14 documents are also listed on the X3L8 Home Page http://www.lbl.gov/~olken/X3L8