[October 11, 2000] The UK's e-Government Interoperability Framework (e-GIF) "sets out the government's technical policies and standards for achieving interoperability and information systems coherence across the public sector. The e-GIF defines the essential pre-requisite for joined-up and web enabled government. It is a cornerstone policy in the overall e-government strategy." One of the three key policy decisions in the UK 'e-GIF' program is identified as the "adoption of XML as the primary standard for data integration and presentation on all public sector systems...the adoption of XML (Extensible Mark-up Language) and XSL (Extensible Stylesheet Language) form the cornerstone of the government data interoperability and integration strategy."
Some details of the "Data integration policies" are highlighted in the "Policies and technical standards" section of the e-GIF report: The "UK Government policy is to use: (1) XML and XML schemas for data integration; (2) UML, RDF and XML for data modelling and description language; (3) XSL, DOM and XML for data presentation." The model also identifies the use of GML (Geospatial Markup Language) as defined by Open Geographic Council." "XML products will be written so as to comply with the recommendations of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). Where necessary the government will base the work on the draft W3C standards but will avoid the use of any product specific XML extensions that are not being considered for open standardisation within the W3C. Centrally agreed XML schemas are approved through the UK GovTalk processes..." According to an announcement of the plan by Cabinet Office Minister Ian McCartney, "e-GIF is a key plank in the Government's drive to get all its services online by 2005 and cut bureaucracy within the public sector. Speaking at London's QE2 Centre, Mr McCartney launched the e-Government Interoperability Framework (e-GIF) - a piece of policy which will help IT systems across the whole public sector to communicate smoothly with each other. There are two main benefits the policy will bring: (1) Creating 24-hour one-stop Government: e-GIF is key to creating one-stop Government where services are available 24-hours a day from a single electronic point of access. For example, the UK online portal - built around e-GIF standards - will offer services around life episodes, giving the user information they need about a particular experience such as having a baby or learning to drive. (2) Banishing bureaucracy in Government: Step-up the red-tape revolution within Government, moving the public sector away from traditional paper-based ways of working by electronically joining up information across a range of Government departments and organisations. Again this is built around e-GIF standards..."
"The main thrust of the framework is to adopt the Internet and World Wide Web standards for all government systems. There is a strategic decision to adopt XML and XSL as the core standard for data integration and presentation. This includes the definition and central provision of XML schemas for use throughout the public sector. The e-GIF also adopts standards that are well supported in the market place. It is a pragmatic strategy that aims to reduce cost and risk for government systems whilst aligning them to the global Internet revolution. Specifying policies and standards in themselves is not enough. Successful implementation will mean the provision of support, best practice guidance, toolkits and centrally agreed data schemas. To provide this, the government has launched the UK GovTalk initiative. This is a Cabinet Office led, joint government and industry forum for generating and agreeing XML data schemas for use throughout the public sector... The primary role of the UK GovTalk Group is to promote the production and management of the XML schemas necessary to support data interoperability requirements of the e-government strategy. XML schemas will be developed by specialist groups, established to support specific projects, or by open submission to the UK GovTalk web site either in response to a Request for Proposals or as an unsolicited proposal. In each case, the UK GovTalk Group will manage the acceptance, publication, and any subsequent change requests for the schema. XML schemas that have been accepted by the group will be published on www.govtalk.gov.uk and will be open for public comment and requests for change. The Portal Data Schemas Project has been established by the UK GovTalk Group to manage the generation and timely delivery of the agreed XML data schemas required for government services delivered through the Portal. The XML data schemas required for the portal services will be the first outputs of the Portal Data Schemas Project and will be agreed through the GovTalk processes as a prioritised delivery. The scope of the e-GIF includes intradepartmental systems and the interactions between: UK Government department and other UK Government departments, UK Government and wider public sector, UK Government and foreign governments (UK/EC, UK/US etc), UK Government and businesses world wide, and UK Government and citizens. UK Government includes central government departments and their agencies, local government and the devolved administrations. The wider public sector includes non departmental public bodies (NDPBs) and the National Health Service. The e-GIF standards are mandated on all new systems. Legacy systems which need to link to the Government Secure Intranet (GSI), Government Portal (Gateway and UK Online), the Knowledge Network or other systems, which are part of electronic service delivery, will need to comply with these standards."
References:
e-GIF Web site. Description 2000-11-08: " The main thrust of the e-government interoperability framework is to adopt the Internet and World Wide Web standards for all government systems. The e-GIF also adopts standards that are well supported in the market place. It is a pragmatic strategy that aims to reduce cost and risk for government systems whilst aligning them to the global Internet revolution. Adherence to the e-GIF standards and policies is mandatory. The working draft of the e-GIF issue 2 will appear here when available. Please use the RFPs and RFCs to send your feedback about scope of e-GIF and all areas of e-GIF other than XML schemas, toolkits and best practice."
UK eGovernment Interoperability. The 'Interoperability' section of the web site outlines the technical standards and policies that will act as the foundation of our e-Government strategy. These Standards will allow information to flow seamlessly across the public sector and will provide citizens and business with better access to government services. The section is split into 4 areas: the e-GIF, Metadata, XML Schema and the e-Government Gateway."
Draft Schemas "Contains a collection of schemas and documents that are still drafts and are being published for public consultation."
Agreed Schemas: "XML Schemas that have undergone public consultation and have been agreed by the Office of the e-Envoy."
"UK Government: New policy to strengthen public sector IT systems." Announcement October 11, 2000.
UK GovTalk - Reference Portal for XML Schemas. "The e-government Interoperability Framework (e-GIF) sets out the UK government's technical policies and standards for achieving interoperability and information systems coherence across the UK public sector. To achieve this the government has launched the UK GovTalk initiative. This is a UK Cabinet Office led, joint government and industry forum for generating and agreeing standards. Although the UK GovTalk initiative focuses on XML schema, the UK GovTalk site covers the whole of the e-GIF. UK GovTalk provides implementation support through the production of centrally agreed, freely available, XML based data schemas that can be reused throughout the public sector to reduce the costs and risks of developing data interchange systems. The initiative helps developers by providing information, best practice guidance, and toolkits for conversion of legacy data. It is intended to make adoption of the e-GIF policies and standards simple, attractive and cost effective."
[March 08, 2001] UK Online Information Architecture: Overview." Version: 1.0. 8-March-2001. Scope of the UK Online Information Architecture. The scope of the UK GIF includes the interactions between: (1) UK Government Department and other UK Government Departments; (2) UK Government and wider public sector; (3) UK Government and Foreign Governments (e.g. UK/EC, UK/US etc); (4) UK Government and Businesses (world-wide); (5) UK Government and UK Citizen. ... The other documents in the UK Online -- Information Architecture series provide data schema in UML and XML form for various services' and composite pieces of information of interest. These are built from the Government Data Standards (GDSs) for fundamental data items that are specified, in detail, in the eGovernment Interoperability Working Group (eGIWG) Data Standards Catalogue. Taken together these schema build into larger schema and hence effectively into a complete information architecture. The communication between the portal(s) and the gateway shall use XML structured messages that have their elements drawn from this information architecture... The UK Government UK Online information architecture and message specifications are being developed under the eGovernment Interoperability Framework (eGIF) as a set of UML models and corresponding XML Schemas..." [source]
[February 26, 2002] "Government To Give Web Services the Go-Ahead." By [Bellman]. In IT-Director.com (February 26, 2002). "Next month, Andrew Pinder, [UK Office of the e-Envoy], is due to set out a consultation paper for the further development of the UK's eGovernment Interoperability Framework (eGIF). It is expected that this paper will recommend the use of SOAP and UDDI standards for the provision of web service and, in so doing, will provide a massive boost to the web services market. eGIF is a collection of rules, policies and technical specifications designed to create an infrastructure through which central and local government units can share and present information efficiently and with some consistency. The reason that this recommendation will be such a boost is that, if adopted, the choice of standard becomes mandatory for all UK government departments that deliver their public services online. Of course, under the eGovernment initiatives, the aim is to get all of the possible public services into the online domain by 2005. There will be significant demand within the UK for any technology that is incorporated into the eGIF specifications... Given the nature of the solutions that the eEnvoy is seeking for 'joined-up government', the use of SOAP and UDDI as standards for integrating and executing application components is not going to be a great surprise. These are the key features that will ensure that the actual choice of technology vendor will have the smallest possible effect on government's ability to work in a consistent environment..."
[June 25, 2001] "Government Data Standards Catalogue. Volume 1 - General Principles." By [UK] e-Government Interoperability Framework (e-GIF). Issue: 0.5 For Public Consultation, 15/05/01. "The [UK] e-Government Interoperability Framework (e-GIF) mandates the adoption of XML and the development of XML schemas as the cornerstone of the government interoperability and integration strategy. A key element in the development of XML schemas is an agreed set of data standards. The Government Data Standards Catalogue sets out the rationale, approach and rules for setting and agreeing the set of Government Data Standards (GDS) to be used in the schemas and other interchange processes. It also contains the standards agreed to date. These standards are also recommended for data storage at the business level. The Catalogue comprises 3 volumes: Volume 1 sets out the general principles, i.e., the rationale, approach and rules for setting standards; Volume 2 sets out the Data Types standards; Volume 3 sets out the Data Items standards. [source, .DOC/ZIP]
[June 25, 2001] "Government Data Standards Catalogue. Volume 2 - Data Types Standards. By [UK] e-Government Interoperability Framework (e-GIF). Issue: 0.5 For Public Consultation, 15/05/01. See previous entry for description. Data Types Examples: "Amount Sterling, BS7666 Address, Date, E-Mail Address, Forename, Individual Full Name, International Postal Address, Name Suffix, Postcode, Requested Name, Surname, Time, Title, UK Postal Address, UK Telephone Number." Volume 3 is not yet published (2001-06-25). [source]
RFPs [2000-11-08]. The UK GovTalk Group invites responses to the following Request For Proposals:
Draft Schemas - XML Schema Comments. "The UK GovTalk Group will publish all draft schemas with a request for comments on the proposal. Registered stakeholders will be sent an e-mail notifying them of the RFC. All constructive comments received will be published on the site. The outcome of the RFC will also be communicated on the site. The RFC process does not preclude unsolicited comments on currently agreed policies and decisions."
[February 15, 2002] "The e-Service Development Framework (eSDF)." Edited by Tim Benson. Published by the UK Cabinet Office, Office of the e-Envoy. Version 1.0b. 88 pages. February 06, 2002. Released for trial use and evaluation over the next six months. Comments to Adrian Kent (Interoperability Policy Adviser, Technology Strategy, Office of the e-Envoy). "The e-Service Development Framework (eSDF) provides a methodology for developing interoperability specifications for use in the public sector. The focus is on preserving the information content so that the information receiver can use it without loss or change of meaning. This document is an introduction to the Office of the e-Envoy's (OeE) e-Service Development Framework (eSDF) and e-Service Development Process Guidelines, which provide a road map for the development of electronic service delivery throughout the public sector. Overview: (1) Part 1 Section A: The e-Service Development Framework (eSDF) provides a high level map of all of the constituents of the process. (2) Section B: The specification of functional Requirements is the first, vital stage of any design process. The Requirements specification uses the Government Common Information Model (GCIM) and use case analysis as a framework for specifying each service interaction in a way that is appropriate to the domain. (3) Section C: Message Design Specification continues the example into the more technical aspects of message design. The service interactions specified in the Requirements specification are converted into detailed Message Specifications, based on the generic structure of the Government Message Reference Model (GMRM). Separate Message Types are defined for each type of message. These are technology-neutral. The conversion into specific technologies, such as XML schema is covered in a separate document. (4) Section D: Implementation using XML Schema... The Message Design Specification (MDS) is technology-neutral, but the e-GIF mandates the use of XML schema. Once the MDS has been prepared, the next step is the preparation of one or more XML Schemas describing the actual XML messages to be used. In principle, an XML Schema could be generated automatically from the MDS, provided that all relevant value sets are available in schema form. However, it is more likely that the best that can be generated automatically from the MDS is a useful first draft, or, as described below, tool-based support for a human schema designer. [We here present] a use case for XML schema development using the MDS; a domain model showing the relationships between XML message components and the Message Design Domain Model; and a short discussion of the XML infrastructure required to make the scenario described in the use case a reality. " See also the metadata description.
[February 15, 2002] E-Government Metadata Standard (e-GMS). January 09, 2002 ['09/01/02']. Version 0.2. 36 pages. The e-GMS lists the elements and refinements that will be used by the public sector to create metadata for information resources. Draft for consultation. Comments due by 22-February-2002. Please send comments to: Maewyn Cumming, Metadata Policy Adviser, Office of the e-Envoy, Stockley House, 130 Wilton Road, London SW1V 1LQ. XML schema [to be completed]. "The first version of this Standard, as described in the e-GMF, consisted of simple Dublin Core. In this version, additional elements have been added to facilitate information and records management... A mapping description lists the elements in other metadata schemes that each element maps to. The other schemes compared are (1) Dublin Core: the set of metadata elements and refinements developed by the Dublin Core Metadata Initiative, which makes up the core of the e-GMS; (2) AGLS: Australian Government Locator Service; (3) NGDF: The National Geospatial Data Framework; (4) GILS: Government Locator Service, used in the USA; (5) PRO: Metadata elements recommended by the UK Public Record Office. Rationale: "The reasons and policies for developing this standard are outlined in the e-Government Metadata Framework: (1) Modernising Government calls for better use of official information, joined-up systems and policies, and services designed around the needs of citizens. (2) Considerable work has already been done to standardise government information systems so they can be accessed easily from central portals. (3) New systems for the handling of electronic records are being devised. Official records will not always be stored in paper format. (4) Metadata makes it easier to manage or find information, be it in the form of web pages, electronic documents, paper files, databases, anything. (5) For metadata to be effective it needs to be structured and consistent across organisations. (6) The e-GMF is therefore mandated across all government information systems. By association, so is the e-GMS.." Also in Word/RTF format; see the metadata description . [cache]
[May 25, 2001] "Delivering New Electronic Services in the Public Sector. The Electronic Government Interoperability Framework and the UK Government Gateway." By Paul Spencer. Presented at XML Europe 2001 [21-25 May 2001, Internationales Congress Centrum (ICC), Berlin, Germany]. "During 2000, the UK Government issued the e-government interoperability framework (e-gif) and started work on defining standards and developing systems to promote interworking between individuals, companies and national and local Government. This is all in support of the Government statement that all services will be available electronically by 2005. This paper introduces the e-gif and the work on developing XML schema guidelines and other supporting documents. It then discusses the Government Gateway - the interface into Government. This part of the paper talks about the involvement of the various commercial and Government organizations in the project, the design decisions required for such a system, the XML standards used (including the benefits and hazards of working with W3C working drafts such as XML Schema) and the final decisions taken regarding schemas and interfaces... The aim of UK GovTalk is to provide a library of XML schemas and support for those developing and using them. GovTalk uses and expands upon the set of standards defined in the e-GIF. The standards fall into two categories - the external standards such as XML and XML Schema, and internal standards and guidelines. These cover areas such as the overall information architecture, a common set of schemas and schema components and guidelines for those developing schemas. These standards and schemas have two aims. The first is to provide a mechanism for passing data over the Internet. The second is to provide guidance for the specification of new systems. Currently, the vast majority of public sector systems have no support for XML. They therefore need some form of interface to support the common GovTalk standards. At some point in the future, these systems will be replaced, and at that time, the GovTalk standards can be used as part of the procurement process. The information architecture aims to define common definitions for re-usable information items. Thus, for example, a citizen's name should always use a common base definition, although in the short and medium term there might be variations depending on the restrictions imposed by current systems. This architecture is then represented as a set of complex data types in several XML schemas. As well as these schema components, GovTalk defines some complete schemas, such as that used for the envelope within which all business messages are wrapped. This envelope is currently a custom solution, having been developed to meet the specific needs of GovTalk, but we are tracking the work of the W3C XML Protocol group and other bodies working in this area. The Office of the e-Envoy, which controls the e-GIF and GovTalk, is a member of the W3C. As well as these standards, GovTalk supplies information and recommendations in areas such as how to develop schemas to be understandable to those less familiar with XML Schema. The schema guidelines have been developed in conjunction with the xml-dev mailing list members, who have been holding a long-running thread on this subject..." Also in PDF format. [cache]
e-Government Interoperability Framework. September 2000. Issue 1 of the framework document. 27 pages. ISBN: 0-7115-0401-6. From the Office of the e-Envoy, 53 Parliament Street, London SW1A 2NG. Email: seamless@citu.gsi.gov.uk; Website: www.citu.gov.uk. With a Foreword by Rt Hon Ian McCartney MP, Minister of State, Cabinet Office. [ALT URL] "The main thrust of the framework is to adopt the Internet and World Wide Web standards for all government systems. There is a strategic decision to adopt XML and XSL as the core standards for data integration and presentation. This includes the definition and central provision of XML schemas for use throughout the public sector. The e-GIF also adopts standards that are well supported in the market place. It is a pragmatic strategy that aims to reduce cost and risk for government systems whilst aligning them to the global Internet revolution. Specifying policies and standards in themselves is not enough. Successful implementation will mean the provision of support, best practice guidance, toolkits and centrally agreed data schemas. To provide this, the government has launched the UK GovTalk initiative. This is a Cabinet Office led, joint government and industry forum for generating and agreeing XML data schemas for use throughout the public sector. Agreed and draft schemas under consultation can be found at www.govtalk.gov.uk... UK GovTalk provides implementation support through the production of centrally agreed, freely available, XML based data schemas that can be reused throughout the public sector to reduce the costs and risks of developing data interchange systems. The initiative helps developers by providing information, best practice guidance, and toolkits for conversion of legacy data. It is intended to make adoption of the e-GIF policies and standards simple, attractive and cost effective... The UK GovTalk Group provides a repository for XML schemas, best practice guidance and toolkits for developing interfaces and conversion. The group will liaise with international initiatives and standards groups such as W3C, OASIS and other XML interest groups... XML schemas will be developed by specialist groups, established to support specific projects, or by open submission to the UK GovTalk web site either in response to a Request for Proposals or as an unsolicited proposal. In each case, the UK GovTalk Group will manage the acceptance, publication, and any subsequent change requests for the schema. XML schemas that have been accepted by the group will be published on www.govtalk.gov.uk and will be open for public comment and requests for change." Also in HTML format. [cache]
UK Government Interoperability Framework. IAGC Data Interoperability Working Group. Draft Version: 0.4 for global consultation. 28-March-2000. 23 pages. "The government has adopted Internet and World Wide Standards including XML as the cornerstone for government data interoperability and integration. . . The UK Government Interoperability Framework (UK GIF) provides the policies and standards for achieving interoperability and information systems coherence across the public sector. It is a cornerstone framework policy for the e-government strategy. . . The UK GIF sets up the Portal Schema Project. This project is targeted and managed to produce XML schemas required specifically for the services to be delivered through the Government Portal (me.gov and the Gateway). . . The implementation strategy also initiates the Portal Schemas Project that aims to prioritise and focus data schema generation on the electronic services that will be delivered through the Government Portal..." [cache]
Links to other Government and public sector sites. Including: (1) XML in healthcare - a UK wide "clearing house" for XML related projects taking place within the National Health Service; (2) Diffuse - a European Commission project gives a guide to XML and related standards. The Diffuse project is to provide a single, value-added, entry point to up-to-date reference and guidance information on available and emerging standards and specifications that facilitate the electronic exchange of information.
e-Gif Membership "Full Membership: Public and private sector organisations working on UK Government Interoperability projects may be invited to become Full Members who attend group meetings and take part in decision making and direction setting for the group. The list of Full Members will change over time as new Interoperability projects are started and old ones are finished. Associate Membership: All organisations involved in public sector XML based projects and any other standards forming part of e-GIF may become Associate Members who have information about new proposals and changes pushed to them by e-mail."
"Modernising Government." Presented to Parliament by the Prime Minister and the Minister for the Cabinet Office by Command of Her Majesty. March 1999.
Information Age Government - Framework Policy. "The e-GIF is a fundamental Framework Policy for the e-government strategy published in April 2000." Also HTML format.
Background: Government Interoperability Framework -- "Conference delegates heard Anwar Choudhury of the CITU tell then that under Government Interoperability Framework (e-GIF) government IT strategy will be 'browser lead' with the internationally approved XML becoming the standard for data exchange for joined up government. UK GovTalk, the first government/industry co-operation of its kind in the world, will provide XML schemas for use across government with open consultation process to ensure these can be reviewed by all interested parties."
"UK Government Interoperability Framework (UK GIF)" = earlier name for the e-GIF project
e-GIF Helpdesk Email: 'seamless@citu.gsi.gov.uk'. Surface: Mike Hudson, CITU, 53 Parliament Street, LONDON, SW1A 2NG
[March 27, 2001] "Microsoft Helps Turn Britain's E-Government Vision Into Reality. BizTalk Server 2000 and .NET Enterprise Servers Revolutionize the Way Citizens and Businesses Interact With Government." - "Today [March 27, 2001] at the fourth annual Microsoft Government Leaders Conference, more than 400 government officials from 80 nations around the world watched Microsoft Corp. Chairman and Chief Software Architect Bill Gates demonstrate how the British government is using Microsoft's enterprise software to revolutionize the way its citizens and businesses experience and interact with government institutions via the Internet. Dubbed 'the Government Gateway,' the new Microsoft .NET Enterprise Server solution is an XML-based portal that acts as the centralized registration service for all e-government services in the United Kingdom. The government portal, part of Blair's new e-government initiative of having 100 percent of government transactions online by 2005, is designed to connect the 200 central and 482 local government institutions with the United Kingdom's 60 million citizens and 3 million businesses. This complex integration solution required an infrastructure that could utilize legacy IT investments and integrate and XML-enable a broad array of disparate applications and platforms while having the reliability and scalability to meet the growing demand of its users... The largest BizTalk Server solution to date, the Government Gateway project is a classic integration challenge, but on a massive scale. BizTalk Server 2000 acts as the primary integration hub for the legions of legacy back-end data and applications found within one of the world's largest government institutions. The flexible architecture provided by the BizTalk business process orchestration capabilities will allow government developers to quickly add or change applications, platforms or agencies as the system grows. The first phase of the Government Gateway project, which is live now, delivers three primary transactions: (1) End of year submissions for the Inland Revenue PAYE (Pay As You Earn). This system is similar to how the U.S. federal government withholds taxes from employee paychecks. (2) Customs and Excise VAT (Value Added Tax) return. This transaction is similar to how businesses submit their sales tax revenue in the United States. (3) Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, farmers' EU subsidy claims. This system enables U.K. farmers to submit claims for subsidy payments via the gateway. Building on the resounding success of phase one of the Government Gateway project, the U.K. government is on track to have all government transactions online by 2005. In the future, British citizens will experience government interactions much more seamlessly. For example, the purchase of an international plane ticket from a travel agency could automatically update an expired passport or submit an application for a travel visa in the destination country without the citizen ever having to explicitly interact with the government. Other examples of future online transactions include registering newborn children, applying for passports and visas, and registering automobiles. More information about the Government Gateway project is available at http://www.gateway.gov.uk/."
[October 23, 2000] Boynings Consulting has set up a web site "as an aid to those developing GovTalk schemas and systems that generate messages using these schemas." The web site provided schemas and samples for (1) Change of Address Notification, (2) PAYE End of Year Return, and (3) PAYE End of Year Return, with sample document instances. [cache 2000-10-22]
[October 12, 2000] "Radius backs new standards for electronic joined-up Government. Interoperability standards in local and national government crucial to achieving official targets by 2005." - "Radius, one of the leading suppliers of e-government solutions to local authorities, today announced its full support for the Government's e-GIF (e-Government Interoperability Framework) standard. e-GIF is key to the Government's target of achieving 100% electronic service delivery, 24-hours a day from a single point of access, by 2005. The initiatives, introduced to the market yesterday by e-Minister Ian McCartney at an industry conference in London, centre around the e-GIF standards for the electronic transfer of information over the Internet. In addition, they also include the setting up of a central GovTalk repository for Government standard XML templates for the open exchange of electronic documents. The last Government Spending Review in July committed councils to achieve overall annual improvements in cost-effectiveness of 2% or more, while also setting a date of 2005 to achieve full electronic delivery. Many local authorities currently believe that these aims are incompatible, given the investments that they will have to make in new IT infrastructure and staff training. Radius is already playing a central role in helping local councils adapt to this new environment and take advantage of new technologies to enable process re-engineering and process improvements while simultaneously cutting their operations overheads. The company recently announced XML-compliant versions of its market-leading Local Government software products Powersolve 2000, RadiusICON and RadiusOrbit, together with intelligent e-forms that collect data in XML format. . . Radius has been a specialist supplier of application software solutions to UK local authorities for 17 years, and counts over 200 local authorities as customers. The company is at the forefront of the adoption of true interoperation in implementing e-government solutions for local authorities, having announced XML-compliant versions of its market-leading products Powersolve 2000, RadiusICON and RadiusOrbit, together with XFA (XML Forms Association) intelligent e-forms. Radius achievements in the XML arena: (1) e-procurement - where we are already the leading supplier of traditional purchasing systems to local authorities -- with 77 councils using our solutions. Our e-procurement solution, RadiusOrbit, focuses on reducing the costs of the purchasing within local authorities, whilst supporting a high level of authorisation and close links to the financial system for financial authorisation and control. It is built around the XML templates defined by the Business and Accounting Software Developers Association (BASDA) in its e-BIS-XML schema, generating electronic Purchase Orders for, and receiving electronic invoices from, suppliers. Our first user in this area is again a London Borough, Greenwich. (2) e-billing - where we have fully adopted the BASDA eBIS-XML standard for invoices and other documents, and have enhanced our existing financial management products to fully support all aspects of e-billing, including extranet support for customers. Over 150 local authorities currently use Radius' products for core accounting functions. (3) e-forms - where we provide intelligent electronic forms utilising innovative technology that bridges the gap between the different browser environments in use by citizens. Our solution is based on server-side processing to minimise download times and enhance the user experience, generating both a pdf of the completed form, and the data in XML format for transfer into applications. (4) GovTalk - where we have supported the industry's XML-based electronic government framework initiative since its inception in September 1999, and are the first UK local authority software supplier to have published its XML templates at www.biztalk.org."
"The UK's Business & Accounting Software Developers' Association (BASDA) is running its eBIS-XML initiative to develop 'a standard many-to-many interface, to enable business systems to exchange orders and invoices by email'. According to BASDA, it is also working with a number of UK Government departments in the UK GovTalk initiative helping to define XML interfaces for the electronic submission of personal tax forms..."
[April 11, 2000] "GovTalk to Speed Up e-Government. ICL commits to worldwide standard to improve government transactions." - "As governments and industry organisations adopt these new standards, ICL predicts that millions of pounds will be saved, as business data can be described and formatted in a way which is independent of any individual computer architecture and which is specific to government systems. Using Extensible Markup Language (XML), information can also be integrated with other governments and business services. For example, if you change your address you currently need to notify a number of different government agencies and organisations. But with agreed standards, change of addresses can be captured in a single transaction and communicated using a common standard. This would improve user transactions with the government and private sector and effectively reduce the amount of paper and time, and reduce the amount of business process reengineering. ICL is already using XML and Microsoft technologies to deliver business-to-business integration for a number of customers, including ntl, the UK cable company, to integrate a variety of legacy applications. ICL has also proven XML integration with existing ICL applications, confirming the viability of this approach."
