"The DoD Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) runs an XML registry for the Defense Information Infrastructure (DII) Common Operating Environment (COE) COE is part of the DoD architecture reference model that prescribes a common set of stds for basic functions used across many applications. [Tom Rhodes, NIST]
"XML registries are a vital component in the implementation of shared data exchanges. DII COE developers looking to express information using XML need support in establishing common lexicons and grammars. This Registry enables the consistent use of XML, both vertically within projects and horizontally across organizations. The DII COE XML Registry constitutes guidance in the generation and use of XML within the COE v4.x data environment and is the authoritative source for approved XML data and metadata components. To ensure interoperability, this registry provides a baseline set of tags developed through coordination and approval among the COE Community. The Registry allows you to browse, search, and retrieve data that satisfy your requirements. The Registry has a substring search capability so that the user may easily find information resources that meet the criteria. The user may specify whether to search for the term within the name of the information resource or the definition or both."
"[For COE Developers:] COE Data Engineering makes reusable common data components and related specifications available to you using XML, a universal data interchange format. The Registry constitutes guidance in the generation and use of XML within the COE v4.x data environment and is the authoritative source for approved XML data and metadata components. [For Other DOD Communities of Interest:] To improve data interoperability, we strongly encourage all DOD communities to browse and use these XML data components, which are known to satisfy DOD system or database requirements."
DII COE Data Emporium - Data Access Services: "Data products and tools are only part of the interoperability solution. Information in a real-time common operational picture that includes data tracks, geo-plots, images, logistics, status of forces information, and messages requires sophisticated common data access services. Architectures: A required data service infrastructure is to build architectures to bridge islands of different data sources. The architectures improve data sharing within the COE and between COE and non-COE systems. For example, the Common Exchange table architecture, also known as "Garlic Fries", planned for incorporation in the 4.X series COE software, provides data synchronization and improved access to the Common Operational Picture (COP) track structures within the COE.
"In addition to emerging data technologies, sharing different formatted data requires a Common Representation of Data to interpret, send, and receive any data, any format, anywhere. As part of the common data representation development, COE Data Engineering has produced a gallery of XML tags. Similar to HTML but more dynamic and powerful, XML is a SELF-DESCRIBING LANGUAGE that will be recognized by the COE Segment Installer to create database schemas within a RDBMS. The tags will describe DOD's common battlefield objects such as organization, materiel, personnel, and facility. In the foreseeable future, XML will be available to commercial web browsers. See the COE Data Engineering gallery of XML tags.
References:
XML Services (XS) Software Requirements Specification (SRS) - Draft. June 11, 1999. Version 2.0. Prepared for Defense Information System Agency (DISA) by DII COE AOG Data Access Services Technical Working Group (DATATWG), Semi-Structured Data and Metadata Sub-panel (SSD-MD). Jim Pipher and Jim Schoening, Co-Chairs. [Summary:] "This Software Requirements Specification (SRS) establishes the functional, performance, and verification requirements for the XML Services (XS) functional area of the Defense Information Infrastructure (DII) Common Operating Environment (COE). The XS functional area includes Registration of terms (tags and structures), Design of XML schemas, Generation and Consumption of XML documents. XML Services provide infrastructure services for mission and support applications using XML technology. These services isolate vendor-unique implementations of data access and provide applications a means of avoiding dependencies on physical access models. These services also provide data management functions for access to distributed (local and remote) database management systems as one of the solutions for interoperablity. This document outlines the software capabilities required for the XS components for the DII COE. Section 2 lists the documents that are applicable to this specification. Section 3 provides a list of functional capabilities. Section 4 identifies the qualification requirements. Section 5 outlines the requirements and verification traceability matrix. Section 6 contains the applicable notes associated with the XS component." Approximation in HTML; use the .doc as official/authoritative. [local archive copy]
Semi-Structured Data and Metadata (SSD-MD) - A sub-panel of the Data Access Technical Working Group addresses XML issues in bi-monthly meetings.
SHADE - "SHared Data Engineering (SHADE) is responsible for data services and other data-related infrastructure for the DII COE that promote interoperability and software reuse in a secure, reliable, and global networked environment."
Contact: xmlregistry@fgm.com
Defense Information Infrastructure Common Operating Environment Home Page
[May 05, 2003] "Intelligence and Military Look to XML to Share Data." By Wilson P. Dizard III. In Government Computer News Volume 22, Number 9 (April 28, 2003), page 8. "The [US] Defense Department and the government's intelligence agencies are turning to Extensible Markup Language tags, registries and schemas as a way to share data across disparate systems. The main focus is the Intelligence Community System for Information Sharing, a backbone network shared by intelligence agencies. 'We are not inventing a new system but taking what is there and building on it,' said John Brantley, director of the Intelink Management Office, at the recent Secure E-Biz conference in Arlington, VA. Intelligence community officials have said they consider metadata tags critical to the process of rights management, so that agencies can control how subsequent users access information as well as copy and distribute it. The government's 14 intelligence agencies have launched a Metadata Working Group to coordinate their efforts... The Defense Information Systems Agency [DISA], meanwhile, has created an extensive XML registry, said Alesia Jones-Harewood, a DISA program manager... DISA's data emporium includes a mature XML registry that has more than 16,000 data elements and 139 XML schema, she said. Data elements are individual items of data content, and schema describe how tags and elements can be combined..."
