Meeting Report

National Committee for Information Technology Standards (NCITS)

L8, Data Representation, Special Interest Group Meetings

November 19 & 20, 1998 at NIST in Gaithersburg, MD

Judith Newton chaired a brief L8 full SIG meeting.

Most of the two days was spent on project meetings. Most project meetings lasted a full day. The meetings took place concurrently during the two days.

1. Tasks for project meetings for New Work Item Study Period

Each project group was asked to address the following items. The resulting documents are to be placed on the project website.

1.1 Refine the written description of the NWI – result: produce a document

1.3 Engage international participation

1.6 Prepare a report of the meeting, including a list of participants.

Project documents are available at < http://sdct-sunsrv1.ncsl.nist.gov/~ftp/l8/sc32wg2/projects/>.

2. National and international participation in meetings

We would like to engage international participants (as well as participants across the US) in this effort at every step along the way. To help accomplish this, we are taking the following actions.

2.1Website for each project

A website was created for each project.

See < http://sdct-sunsrv1.ncsl.nist.gov/~ftp/l8/sc32wg2/projects/>.

We will post descriptions of the work, the tasks to be performed, a list of participants, drafts of the standard, meeting reports and related submissions.

2.2 An email reflector for each project

A list was circulate to confirm proposed names for each reflector and for people to sign-up for any lists that they are interested in. The lists are:

3. Use of teleconference speakerphones and videoconference facilities for meetings of each project that need these.

We had problems with both the teleconference and videoconference connections. Efforts are underway to eliminate the problems.

4. Collaborative software

We may be able to use some real-time collaboration software during meetings (e.g., netmeeting) and possibly discussion databases for ongoing dialogue (e.g. Domino). No progress was made on this.

2.5. Distribute meeting reports widely

Bruce Bargmeyer is sending reports of the L8 SIG meetings to a reflector that is held over from SC 14, with some names added to it. As soon as it is operational, reports will be sent to the WG 2 informal reflector.

If anyone can think of other ways to facilitate national and international collaboration, please make a proposal.

3. Reports from project groups

Projects are requested to maintain the relevant documents on their project website. Reports of the meetings were to be sent to Bruce Bargmeyer, but no reports were received. Some of the reports were put directly onto the project website. See each website for the reports and other project documents.

3.1 Revise ISO/IEC 11179, Part 3 (five-year revision) with amendments to other parts of 11179 to make all parts consistent [Joe Christensen editor]

This is already an approved SC 32 project. The objective is to update ISO/IEC 11179, Specification and Standardization of Data Elements, Part 3, Basic Attributes. This work is the result of the 5-year review of Part 3. This project will also develop corrigenda or changes in the other parts of ISO/IEC 11179 to make the separately developed parts consistent between themselves and to make them consistent with the revised Part 3. The recently completed ANS X3.285 incorporates virtually all of 11179, Part 3, extends the list of attributes, and presents the information in the form of a model. It includes an informative annex with translations to several popular modeling notations. X3.285 is to serve as a basis for rapidly updating Part 3. Doug Mann will serve as the lead for the US work on this project. Joe Christensen, in Australia, is the WG 2 editor for this project.

We talked with Joe Christensen November 19th early Eastern Standard Time and late in the evening Australian time. Joe has created a new draft. We reviewed the draft and made suggestions. Joe will continue work. About 10 people sat in on the telephone call. An attendance list was not taken.

3.2 Object interface extensions to ISO/IEC 11179

The Object Extensions group met for a full day on November 19, 1998. Tom Culpepper added the following documents to the project website:

The report of the meeting and related documents are available at:

http://sdct-sunsrv1.ncsl.nist.gov/~ftp/l8/sc32wg2/projects/11179obj/

Documents available on the 11179 object interface project website include the NWI proposal, tasks, the Work Plan, and the minutes of this meeting.

3.3 XML extensions for ISO/IEC 11179

This was scheduled for a videoconference in the afternoon of November 20. Technical problems lead the group to use a speakerphone.

This project involves development of a set of XML metadata tags based on XML-Data and/or the XML/Resource Description Framework (RDF). This would make ISO/IEC 11179 useful in the new XML enabled web technologies. Another objective in this effort will be to enable metadata interchange among metadata registries. A third objective is to enable access to metadata registries from XML based web pages, including pages generated from database queries. A fourth objective is to enable XML applications (such as XML-EDI) to directly access metadata registries. In order to accomplish these objectives, requirements will be generated for XML syntax and schema work underway in the World Wide Web Consortium. We are working on arrangements for liaison with the relevant W3C workgroups. Frank Olken and John McCarthy are leading the US work on this NWI.

Documents about this project, including the documents resulting from the topics discussed at this meeting are available at:

http://sdct-sunsrv1.ncsl.nist.gov/~ftp/l8/sc32wg2/projects/11179xml/

Documents at the XML site include the NWI proposal, an attachment to the NWI proposal and the Work Plan for this project.

3.4 Extend ISO/IEC 11179 for Complex data

The participants in this project decided that it would be best to combine this work with the work of the registry content group.

3.5. ISO/IEC 11179 Metamodel issues Not Elsewhere Classified

No action was taken on this project. It may include work on units and dimensionality, but no leader has stepped forward.

Documents about this project, including the documents resulting from the topics discussed at this meeting are available at:

http://sdct-sunsrv1.ncsl.nist.gov/~ftp/l8/sc32wg2/projects/11179xtnd/

Documents at the website include the NWI proposal and an attachment to the NWI proposal.

3.6 Technical Report on ISO/IEC 11179 Metadata Registry Content

The exchange of metadata between ISO/IEC 11179 metadata registries depends not only on registry software that conforms to the standard, but also on metadata contents that are compatible between registries. While the 11179 standard has general coverage for data element specification and registration, there are pragmatic issues pertaining to populating the registries with content. Based on the experiences of organizations that are implementing the standard, a technical report to explore content issues could help current and future users. This could also possibly be an implementation guide.

This group met the full day of November 20, 1998. There was substantial discussion about the potential scope of this project. The list of tasks was organized and refined. Preparations were made for the Open Forum panel on this project. Judith Newton and Kathleen Gundry presented draft material.

Contributions by Judith Newton and Kathleen Gundry are being placed on the project website.

Documents about this project, including the documents resulting from the topics discussed at this meeting are available at:

http://sdct-sunsrv1.ncsl.nist.gov/~ftp/l8/sc32wg2/projects/11179content/

Documents at the website include the NWI proposal and an attachment to the NWI proposal and a Work Plan for this project.

3.7 Terminology extensions for ISO/IEC 11179

This work will focus on extending the 11179 to better accommodate semantic management of concepts and the terms by which concepts are referenced. An important foundation for semantics management is the ability to specify concepts and to associate the each concept with the linguistic expressions (terms or unintelligent identifiers) used to name or reference the concept. Concepts may be expressed as definitions and each linguistic expression (term, identifier) for the each concept should be in a context. For example, the context for a term may be a specific language (French, English, …) or a specific scientific discipline (chemistry, materials engineering, …). Once concepts and terms are specified, they may be organized a variety of structured sets such as controlled vocabularies, keywords, data element values, data element components, thesauri, themes, topic trees, taxonomies, or ontologies. Each of these structured sets of concepts/terminology can be deployed in various technologies. For example, topic trees and thesauri can be deployed in search engines to facilitate discovery of relevant documents and data, ontologies can be deployed in intelligent information services (request brokers, query agents, resource agents, etc.), and data elements can be deployed in DBMS technology. Extensions to 11179 are required to establish a means for specifying concepts and terms and to establish a means for organizing concepts/terminology into structured sets. Reference implementations will be used to demonstrate the practical utility of the proposed standards and technology.

Bruce Bargmeyer placed on the website a draft of material that can be refined into a terminology framework.

Documents about this project, including the documents resulting from the topics discussed at this meeting are available at:

http://sdct-sunsrv1.ncsl.nist.gov/~ftp/l8/sc32wg2/projects/11179term/term-home.htm

Documents at the website include the NWI proposal and an attachment to the NWI proposal and a Work Plan with assignments for this project.

4. Future meeting schedule

December:

12/10/1998 9 AM - 5 PM NIST Administration Building Lecture Room E, Rooms B111

& B113 (LR E is located in the basement of Administration Building) – SIG meetings. Meet first in Lecture Room E.

12/11/1998 9 AM - 5 PM NIST Administration Building Lecture Room E, Rooms B111

& B113 12/10/1998

12/10 - 11/1998 Dining Room C

Evening, 12-11-98, Holiday Party at the Tivoli restaurant

January:

1/6/98 9 AM - 5 PM, NIST, L8 SIG meeting

1/7/98 9 AM - 5 PM, NIST, L8 SIG meeting

1/8/98 9 AM - 5 PM, NIST, L8 Plenary meeting

February:

2/8 - 12/1999 BLS Conference Center - SC 32/WG 2 Plenary and editing meetings

2/16-19/1999 BLS Conference Center - SC 32/WG 2 Open Forum on Metadata Registries

3/17/98 9 AM - 5 PM, NIST, L8 SIG meeting

3/18/98 9 AM - 5 PM, NIST, L8 SIG meeting

3/19/98 9 AM - 5 PM, NIST, L8 Plenary meeting

4/8/98 9 AM - 5 PM, NIST, L8 SIG meeting

4/9/98 9 AM - 5 PM, NIST, L8 SIG meeting

5/21-28/98, Matsue Japan, SC 32 and SC 32/WG 2 meetings.

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Directions to NIST Administration Building: From Interstate 270, driving North, take Exit 10. The exit takes you under the freeway. Take a left into the NIST campus at the first stoplight. The Administration Building is the largest building on the campus. Visitor parking is in the large parking lot in front of the Admin Building. Other parking lots nearby are reserved for permit holders.

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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NCITS L8 documents, including this meeting report, are available via Anonymous FTP from sdct-sunsrv1.ncsl.nist.gov. Change directory to l8 (L8 in lowercase letters) and check the "readme" file for details. The FTP site is also available on the web at: http://sdct-sunsrv1.ncsl.nist.gov/~ftp/l8 Many of the documents are also listed on the L8 Home Page. The 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.

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Attendees:

Bruce Bargmeyer Environmental Protection Agency

Jim Carpenter Bureau of Labor Statistics

Eliot Christian United States Geological Survey

Tom Culpepper 3M

Larry Fitzwater Environmental Protection Agency

Sheila Frank Health Care Finance Administration

Len Gallagher National Institute of Standards and Technology

Dan Gillman Bureau of the Census

Michael Gorman Whitemarsh

Judy Griffin HAZMED

Henry Heffernan National Institutes of Health

Pat Heinig Department of Energy

William H Kenworthey, Jr. Self

Tom Kurihara National Institute of Standards and Technology

Judith Newton National Institute of Standards and Technology

Douglas Mann Battelle

Robert Mayes Health Care Finance Administration

Phong Ngo Science Applications International Corporation

John Ryabik Marasco Newton Group

Genevieve Speier Health Care Finance Administration

Linda Spencer Environmental Protection Agency

Glenn M. Sperle Department of Defense/Health Affairs