6. Information sharing and exchange

6.1. Technical policy statements

6.1.1. Data integration

NZ government policy is to use:

• NZGLS for the creation of discovery level metadata;

• XML (standard);

• GML, WMS and WFS schemas for data integration [ Business systems (current or legacy applications) that are tightly integrated or internal to agencies may use other processing environments. The introduction of current or legacy business systems into new inter-agency initiatives requires the capability to map the outputs of these systems to the agreed XML schemas.] ;

• UML and XMI for data modelling;

• RDF for description of agency Internet resources such as Website content and online services; and

• XSL for data transformation

6.1.2. Metadata

Agencies will use the New Zealand Government Locator Service (NZGLS) metadata standard for the definition and discovery of government services and resources.

6.1.3. XML

The NZ government will base the use of XML on the recommendations [ The W3C commonly label their standards as Recommendations (or Requests for Comment - RFC)] of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) to avoid the use of any product-specific XML products / extensions. The purpose of this policy is to ensure that there is structured, consistent, and efficient use of XML within government, based on the W3C XML 1.0 standard. [ Agencies currently using product-specific (or proprietary) XML should be planning to migrate to open standards XML by 2003.]

6.1.4. Agreed schemas

Agencies will use the XML schemas and schema fragments identified by the e-GIF Technical Working Groups as essential components of interoperability (to be known as 'Agreed Schemas' in the e-GIF) for use across government. The purpose of using such schemas is to minimise the divergence of descriptions and taxonomies between agencies and across government sectors / clusters. Registers for the storing of Agreed Schemas will be compatible with ebXML and UDDI.

6.1.5. Presentation

Agencies have the choice of presenting text and images in either "open" (i.e. able to be edited) or "locked" (i.e. unable to be edited) forms. Agencies choosing to exchange:

• Text in an open format will use XML or HTML 4.01

• Text in a locked format will use PDF

• Images in an open format will use GIF 89a or JPEG

• Images in a locked format will use PDF

6.1.6. Data modelling

Agencies will use a standard notation for the modelling of inter-agency business processes, systems, and applications.

6.1.7. Messaging

MIME and S/MIME are the recommended messaging formats for communications between agencies.

6.1.8. Services

Standards for transporting and exchanging web-based services are SOAP and WSDL.

6.2. Standards and guidelines