View from the SDO Trenches

1. Emergency Response Management Systems (ERMS)versus(ERSM) Emergency Response Systems Management:Identifying the Critical Pathto Improved Decision SupportLessons from Standards Development:Emergency Data Exchange Language (EDXL)Family of SpecificationsInterim Conclusion:Ontology of Specification Processes Needed

2. View from the SDO Trenches • OASIS: Organization for the Advancement of Structured Information Standards • Emergency Management Technical Committee (EM TC) • Started 2003, with Submission of Common Alerting Protocol (CAP)from the Partnership for Public Warning, Begun after 9/11 • Minor Incompatibility Between CAP & Department of Justice (DoJ) Global Justice XML Data Model (GJXDM) Stimulated Practitioner Group (Subject Matter Experts-SME) • DoJ, Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Practitioner Group Evolved into Memorandum of Understand (MOU) Between DHS and Emergency Interoperability Consortium (EIC)

3. View from the SDO Trenches • Emergency Data Exchange Language Grew out of MOU Pratitioner Group • SMEs Thought to Provide Shortest Path to Quick, Workable Standard for Routing Emergency Messages • EDXL Distribution Element (EDXL_DE) Submitted to EM TC after CAP voted OASIS Standard, March 2004 • Complete Standard Submitted to EM TC Following CAP Process • Many Fundamental Changes Required, Many Reasons: • OASIS International not US-Centric • Setting Priority of Specification Components: Metadata, Specific Content Types, Payload versus Routing Information • Became Standard April 2005

4. View from the SDO Trenches • Many Lessons Learned from EDXL_DE Process • Difficult to Maintain Synch Among Normative Data Dictionary, Informational Document Object Model (DOM) & Normative XML Schema While Working Issues • No Ability to Check Reworked Specification Against Requirements • TC asked SMEs to Resubmit EDXL Resource Messaging (EDXL_RM) Specification as Formal Requirements Document • Messaging & Notifications Subcommittee (SC) Provided a Requirements Document Template • Allows Working SC to Check and Recheck ALL changes to Ensure that Requirements are met • EDXL Situational Awareness in Early Stages • As Family, EDXL Needs Overall Higher Level Model, Between Reference Model (RM) & DOM

5. EDXL Reference Information Model (EDXL_RIM) with OWL-DL Representation? • EDXL Experience Points to Advantage of Model Driven Architecture Approach • Built-In Inheritance Needed Without Making it an “Issue” • Will Make “Interoperability” Easier as Fact, More Acceptable as Requirement • Standards World Still not Fully “XML-aligned” • Road to “RDF-OWL” Acceptance Uncertain • Reference Information Model (RIM) needs to be more Abstract than DOM, Less Abstract than RM • OASIS SOA-RM is RM Example, DoJ Reference Architecture Based on SOA-RM is closer to RIM, Lacks Ontology Representation

6. ERMS v. ERSM: Critical Path

7. ERMS v. ERSM: Critical Path • Emergency Response Management Systems • Single System-Centered • Coordinates Only when Required & Not Well • Ad Hoc with Jurisdictional Conflict & Confusion • Emergency Response Systems Management • Evolving Slowly, by Region, e.g. Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) • Mandated by DHS’ National Incident Management System (NIMS), National Information Exchange Model (NIEM), Federal Enterprise Architecture (FEA) Data Reference Model Across Agencies • Critical Path: Any Step Without Which Goal or Objective Can Not be Achieved: • Improved Decision Support Imperative to Accurately Identify Critical Path Fail Points