DISA to create XML clearinghouse

XML.gov

The Defense Information Systems Agency will be responsible for creating a Defense Department Extensible Markup Language clearinghouse, according to a new policy issued this week.

The April 22 memo, signed by John Stenbit, DOD's chief information officer, and Pete Aldridge, undersecretary of Defense for acquisition, technology and logistics, is part of an effort to "support interoperability and minimize overhead" by creating a single clearinghouse and registry for creating, finding, reusing and unambiguously identifying XML components, the memo says.

The registry and clearinghouse will be accomplished "by identifying best practices, establishing partnerships with industry, public-interest groups and other governmental activities, and coordinating XML education and outreach," the two-page memo says.

The DOD XML registry and clearinghouse will be the authoritative source for XML components. "All program managers that use XML as an interchange format must register XML components in accordance with procedures established by DISA," according to the memo.

The memo was praised as a step forward in promoting XML interoperability.

"On a quick glance it looks good, which is what I would expect in light of DOD [and] DISA's leadership along these lines," said Owen Ambur, co-chairman of the XML Working Group established by the federal CIO Council.

"I believe it is very much in line with what we're aiming to do with registry services at XML.gov," he said. "I look forward to continuing to work very closely with DOD toward the establishment of a worldwide set of XML registries that act as one by virtue of compliance with the applicable standards for interoperability."

The XML Working Group, working with the National Institute of Standards and Technology, is developing a registry of "inherently governmental" data elements, document type definitions and schemas.

An April report from the General Accounting Office said that the DOD XML registry is part of the department's effort to promote interoperability vertically within individual projects and horizontally across departmental organizations.

Michael Jacobs, data architecture project leader for the Navy's CIO office, which recently issued a draft XML guide, said the DOD policy is a good first step toward formalizing the DOD XML registration requirements.

"The hard work is yet to come, in the form of the implementation guidance which will flow from the policy," he said.

The memo will be reviewed in at least one year, the document says.