CVLs - Frequently Asked Questions
Why do we need CVLs?
We need to have agreement about terms that are understood by people and by computers. Interoperability between government agencies depends on communication and exchange of information. The data components of that information include metadata. Metadata provides the context and semantics of the raw data.
CVLs are agreed vocabularies of metadata that is used in interoperable technologies. They prevent confusion and save time for agencies making mappings between external and internal data schemas.
Is there an example of CVLs data?
Most government agencies already have a large number of CVLs embedded in their operational systems. They are often called lookup lists. Typical examples of CVLs include:
- Gender codes
- Geographic regions
- Postcodes
- Occupations
- Age brackets
- Socio-economic deciles
- Education levels
What is the current status of CVLs?
SSC is seeking a lead agency for CVLs.
A second discussion paper was presented to SSC in 2005. See Current CVLs Projects for details.
Where would CVLs be of benefit to government agencies?
One area where CVLs would assist government agencies is in web-based applications. As agencies move to Internet processing there will be extensive use of HTML forms to capture data from the public. HTML forms often involve forced-choice data domains. These restricted choice domains are usually implemented as drop-down lists, where the user selects one or more of the values presented.
A standardised set of CVLs would allow all government agencies to offer consistent drop-down lists, with standardised ordering of values. Standardised data domains would assist usability and facilitate interoperability between agencies.
