Notice of Intent to Include xNAL Name and Address Standard as a Recommended Standard in the e-GIF

10 May 2004

I am writing to tell you about a change to the E-government Interoperability Framework that affects all government systems, which handle name and address information, and to seek your views on it.

Since June 2002, Cabinet has required departments to adopt the e-government interoperability framework (the e-GIF). Crown entities and local bodies are encouraged to adopt it. The e-GIF is a framework of standards and policies, most of which pre-existed the e-GIF, that have been adopted for departmental use when implementing IT systems. Standards may be recommended or mandatory parts of the e-GIF. The e-GIF is governed by the State Services Commissioner, who is advised by the e-GIF Management Committee. More information about the e-GIF may be found on its website at http://www.e.govt.nz/interoperability/index.html.

Many government agencies hold databases and computer systems, which contain names and addresses. The format in which these names and addresses are held varies widely, making comparisons difficult or impossible. Using a common standard for interchange of name and address data will make this simpler. This does not imply that additional data matching should take place without the requisite agreements, but it will greatly simplify the technical problems when data matching agreements are made. It will also facilitate name and address matching within agencies.

The group of standards known as xNAL - for XML based Name and Address Language standard - were originally developed by international standards body, OASIS, a not-for-profit, international consortium that drives the development, convergence and adoption of e-business standards. Through 2003 a working group of public and private sector people met and refined the standard for New Zealand conditions. The body of work they produced now provides a standard way of representing New Zealand names and addresses. More information about the New Zealand xNAL can be found at http://www.e.govt.nz/docs/xnal-guidelines-200312/index.html.

The e-GIF Management Committee has resolved that the xNAL Name and Address Standard will become a recommended standard in the e-GIF with immediate effect. The impact of this is that all government agencies and local bodies are urged to use xNAL for any new systems they specify or order, which contain name or address information. It also sends a strong signal to the vendors of such systems that they need to support this standard.

The xNAL Schema and Guidelines (see http://www.e.govt.nz/docs/xnal-guidelines-200312/index.html) will be available for consultation for a period of 6 months from the time of the posting of this letter. Agencies and vendors are invited to provide feedback to the e-GIF Manager at e-gif@ssc.govt.nz. Feedback is particularly sought with regard to issues faced when implementing the standard.

The greatest benefits for agencies are achieved when they and all the agencies they work with use the same standard. Once the xNAL guidelines and schema have been implemented, tested and refined in a variety of situations, the Committee proposes to make the standard mandatory.

At the end of the six months consultation noted above, there will be a further period of formal consultation prior to the xNAL Standard being made mandatory. At that time we will be seeking your views on a variety of issues with regard to making the standard mandatory.

I would greatly appreciate it if you could send your comments to Trudy Rankin at the State Services Commission, PO Box 329, Wellington, or by email to e-gif@ssc.govt.nz, by 30 September 2004.

I would also welcome any comments you might have on the process used to develop and recommend the xNAL standard

Yours sincerely

Warren Tucker
Chair, e-GIF Management Committee

Distribution: Public Service Departments

Non-Public Service Departments

Selected Crown Entities

Local Authorities

Offices of Parliament