NIEM Newsletter
Houston Implementation Compares GJXDM/IEEE to NIEM
The IJIS Institute’s Intelligent Transportation System and Public Safety Information Exchange project is currently working with the Houston, Texas, TranStar and Houston Metro Police to implement a Field Operation Test (FOT) of the project’s Incident Notification exchange. Although the project’s Information Exchange Package Documentations (IEPDs) utilize both the Global Justice XML Data Model (GJXDM) and Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 1512 standards, utilizing a transformation style sheet in between, Houston TranStar and Houston Metro Police decided to not only implement the exchange with the GJXDM/IEEE standards but to also develop the same exchange in NIEM 2.0. This decision will enable the site to evaluate the pros and cons of both exchange styles and guide their future implementations of cross-domain exchanges in Houston. The implementation of the Incident Notification exchange will be bidirectional and is expected to be completed by October.
Initiated in 2005, the Intelligent Transportation System and Public Safety Information Exchange project is a collaborative effort between the transportation and public safety communities. The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) and U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) cosponsor the project with management support provided by the IJIS Institute.
Both the transportation and public safety communities have been developing information exchange standards unique to their own needs and systems. Transportation incident management utilizes standards developed in conjunction with IEEE. In contrast, the public safety community has developed the Global Justice XML Data Model (GJXDM), supported by the Global Justice Information Sharing Initiative (Global).
Led by a steering committee composed of both practitioners and industry representatives and supported by technical working teams and subject-matter experts, the project is engaged in the development of standardized Information Exchange Packages incorporating both GJXDM and IEEE standards. This project does not seek to supplant those existing intracommunity standards, but instead the project focus is on identifying the common information interests of the two communities and developing exchange methods for data sharing where their interests intersect. These GJXDM/IEEE exchanges provide a flexible method for the transfer of essential information now and in the future, and they can work in harmony with other standards, such as NIEM.
For more details, please contact Scott Parker, Project Manager, IJIS Institute, at (703) 726-4213.
Evaluating the Acceptance of NIEM
As one means of measuring the acceptance of NIEM, the NIEM Program Manager’s Office decided to look at the number of downloads captured in a Web site report of the NIEM.gov Web site. The logic of this method is that to utilize NIEM, users have to download the necessary information to implement it in their agencies or organizations. If a user takes the time to download the information, that download suggests the user’s acceptance of NIEM.
Figure 1 below illustrates the number of downloads per month from July 1, 2006, through July 31, 2007.
NIEM Web Site Downloads
Number of Downloads
Figure 1: Downloads captured from NIEM.gov Web site.
Since NIEM rolled out its first release to the public in July 2006, a steady increase in the number of downloads has been observed (as Figure 1 illustrates). With the highly anticipated new production release (NIEM 2.0) rolled out on July 31, 2007, the NIEM Program Manager’s Office is anticipating another large spike in the number of downloads, similar to that observed when NIEM 1.0 was released.
The major focus of NIEM 2.0 is to harmonize data definitions and usage across multiple domains. In addition, NIEM was remodeled to remove duplication, complexity, and ambiguity and includes new code lists and types. Those new to NIEM and/or those possibly interested in adopting NIEM can now simply implement NIEM 2.0. Those who adopted NIEM 1.0 are provided migration tools so they can transition smoothly to NIEM 2.0 without having to start from scratch.
The NIEM Program Manager’s Office is enthusiastic about the steady increase in downloads over the last year and is committed to continued support and promotion of NIEM as a valuable standard for information sharing across multiple domains and communities of interest.
The vision of NIEM is to be the standard of choice for intergovernmental information exchange. NIEM develops, disseminates, and supports enterprise-wide information exchange standards and processes that enable jurisdictions to effectively share critical information in emergency situations, as well as to support the day-to-day operations of agencies throughout the nation.
For more information on NIEM and NIEM 2.0, please visit the NIEM Web site at http://www.niem.gov.
Global Justice Information Sharing Users' Conference Around the Corner
You can still register for the third annual Global Justice Information Sharing Users' Conference, to be held August 21–23, 2007, in Chicago, Illinois. Space is limited and accommodation at the conference site may be sold out. Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Office of Justice Programs (OJP), Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), in partnership with the Global Justice Extensible Markup Language (XML) Data Model (GJXDM) Training and Technical Assistance Committee (GTTAC), the conference will highlight best practices and lessons learned and will feature new GJXDM implementation projects. Presentations will highlight both the development of the National Information Exchange Model (NIEM) and the many GJXDM projects. There will also be a preconference NIEM Executive Briefing on Monday, August 20, 2007. For additional information on this conference, including hotel accommodations and registration information, please visit www.it.ojp.gov/usersconference.
Upcoming NIEM Training: Tucson, Arizona, September 24–28, 2007
NIEM is conducting an XML and NIEM Practical Implementer’s Course in Tucson on September 24–28. The training has been updated to include critical information on NIEM 2.0 and will also include instruction on migration, using NIEM, and an IEPD exercise based on a migration case study. For further information or questions about the NIEM training, please contact Ms. Samantha Styles at (703) 726-3697 or samantha.styles@ijis.org.