the LEGO architecture

1
the LEGO architecture

• Kent DustonPortal Business ManagerE-government
  Unit, State Services Commission

2
session agenda

• Overview of the LEGO components
• A closer look at the Search component
• Coffee
• Current components
• Planned components
• How new components are built
• Labour market portal case study
• Lunch

3
defining LEGO

• The components are part of a toolkit that allows
  agencies to build solutions
• The components are based on e-GIF and web
  guidelines
• They are built using industry standards such as
  XML, LDAP and HTTP
• They can be operated by EGU as a service, or
  operated by the agency as infrastructure

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the components
Web Services
Collaboration Workflow
Gateway Services
Value-added services
Web Guidelines
Core services
Technical Messaging Services
Service Metadata
LDAP Services
Authentication
E-GIF Framework
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the components

• Some components -- such as search engine and SEE
  -- are available today
• Some components -- such as the XML gateway --
  will be built in the near future
• We expect agencies to contribute components that
  address common business issues
• Once components are certified under e-GIF they
  can be made available to all agencies

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example - the search component

• This component was developed by EGU as a
  by-product of developing the portal
• Its powered by the Autonomy search engine
• Agencies can call the search functionality from
  their own sites
• The process of using it is invisible to the
  end-user on the website
• Costs are allocated against marginal usage
• This means there are no capital charges for
  hardware or software licensing

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example - the search component
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benefits

• Agencies can use an operational search engine
  after performing a few configuration steps
  faster days or weeks rather than months of
  installation and configuration
• No need to license software cheaper avoids
  hundreds of thousands of dollars of capital
  charges for hardware and software
• State of the art search technology better
  more powerful and sophisticated than cheaper
  alternatives

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how it works
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commercial arrangements

• The overall license agreement is held by the
  Crown, although negotiated by SSC
• For public sector agencies there are no
  additional licensing requirements
• A Memorandum of Understanding governs the usage
  of the system
• Each agency only pays for its actual, incremental
  usage as measured by the system hosters
• This is re-charged from SSC to the agency
• The MOU is flexible and can easily accommodate
  changing requirements

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using search

• Contact EGU and discuss your requirements
• Work through the Memorandum of Understanding and
  agree its terms with SSC
• Implement the code changes within your website to
  access the search engine
• Test the code against the EGU development/testing
  environment
• Once youre happy, activate the system on your
  website
• Authorise the invoice when it arrives!

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summary

• The building blocks provide modular functionality
  without the need for capital investment
• Using a building block is much faster and easier
  than having to implement a complete system from
  scratch
• You only pay for incremental usage
• You can make use of a building block without
  having to build up lots of expertise in
  specialist technologies

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questions?
14
coffee break
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contacts

• Business stuff Kent Duston
• Kent.duston_at_portal.govt.nz
• DDI 04 495 2855
• Technical stuff Ferry Hendrikx
• Ferry.hendrikx_at_portal.govt.nz
• DDI 04 495 2845

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session agenda

• Current components
• Planned components
• How new components are built
• Labour market portal case study
• Lunch

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current components

• Search engine that will allow searching across
  Internet, Extranet and Intranet sites
• Metadata repository that contains information on
  central government and local government services
• Shared workspaces (in prototype form) that allow
  inter-agency collaboration
• Mailing list application that allows subscribers
  to participate in e-mail discussions
• SEEmail that allows agencies to send and receive
  secure inter-agency e-mail

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planned components

• LDAP services that provide directory capabilities
  for applications
• XML gateway that allows structured data
  interchange between applications
• Production shared workspaces
• Inter-agency workflow that allows agencies to
  collaborate in shared business processes
• Government news syndication that provides a
  single point of update for Internet news releases

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the specifics - search engine

• Powered by Autonomy
• Can search across Internet, Extranet and Intranet
  sites
• Can be configured to operate within a closed
  user group
• Uses HTTP and XML as the interface
• Supports natural language and keyword searching
• Requires no hardware investment by the agency
• Cost recovery model is pay-per-search
• Expect costs of tens to hundreds of dollars per
  month

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service metadata

• More than 3,500 records have been collected
  across central and local government
• Most public-facing government services are
  described
• Can be filtered and presented as necessary to
  suit the needs of different audiences
• Kept up to date by individual agencies as part of
  their portal charter obligations
• Uses HTTP and XML as the interfaces
• Cost recovery model is pay-per-record-accessed
• Expect costs of tens of dollars per month

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prototype shared workspaces

• Toolbox for inter-agency collaboration
• Users can extend outside government to foster
  collaboration between agencies and stakeholders
• Includes mailing list, discussion groups, secure
  document sharing and project resource sharing
• Has authentication capabilities
• Based on commercial web-based software components
  and open standards
• Cost recovery model is still under discussion
  with prototype users
• Full productionisation will follow the budget

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mailing list server

• Available as part of the shared workspace suite,
  can be configured as a stand-alone service
• Allows people to subscribe and unsubscribe from
  e-mail lists
• Is moderated and users are authenticated to stop
  spam and re-mailing
• Supports attachments but doesnt re-mail them for
  efficiency
• Based on commercial web-based software and uses
  open standards
• Cost recovery model is pay-per-list
• Expect costs of tens of dollars per month

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SEE (Secure Electronic Environment)

• SEE is a technical toolkit, not a finished
  application
• It is made up of SEEmail and SEEkey
• Both are based on open standards but must be
  implemented by agencies to suit their individual
  architecture
• The secure mail transport and strong
  authentication allow agencies to build encrypted
  messaging
• The components can certify both individuals and
  agencies
• The heart of security is authentication and SEE
  provides a dependable way of achieving this

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LDAP services

• This is a planned component, available Q1 2003
• Based on the SEE LDAP schema
• Acts as a central agency address book, containing
  core information about agencies and their public
  address information
• Agencies can link their own LDAP directories to
  the core directory
• Agencies control what information is publicly
  available in their directories
• The service is free of charge

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XML gateway

• This is planned component, available in prototype
  Q1 2003, production Q2 2003
• Allows agencies to interchange data without the
  cost and complexity of point-to-point links
• First use will be for agencies wanting to get
  metadata in and out of the Metalogue system
• Built on commercial products from Microsoft and
  IBM
• The vendor sessions this afternoon will cover how
  this system will work

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inter-agency workflow

• Planned component, available in prototype Q2
  2003, production Q3 2003
• Allows agencies to build complex workflows that
  operate both within and between agencies
• Based on Lotus Domino Workflow technology
• Completely web-based, with core servers hosted by
  Datacom
• First use will be metadata workflows within the
  Metalogue system
• Agencies have control over workflows and business
  rules
• Costs are still being worked out

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news syndication

• Planned component, prototype available in Q1
  2003, production in Q2 2003
• Allows agencies to have their news stories
  automatically harvested by search engine
• Stories are then aggregated and published through
  the XML gateway
• Stories need to be in RSS/NewsML format as per
  proposed e-GIF standard
• No cost to agencies to have their stories
  harvested
• No cost to agencies wanting to subscribe to the
  news feed

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getting more information

• Current and planned services will have a Fact
  Sheet describing them, published by EGU
• These Fact Sheets are under development and will
  be progressively released over the next few
  months
• A draft MOU covering the commercial aspects is
  available now
• If youre interested in using any of the
  services, contact me in the first instanceKent
  DustonDDI 04 495 2855E-mail kent.duston_at_portal.g
  ovt.nz

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services summary

• There are a range of services available
• These can be used by agencies at minimal cost to
  extend their in-house capabilities
• The services can be combined into completed
  systems in whatever manner agencies see fit
• There will be a steady stream of new components
  released throughout 2003

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building new components

• Most of the components weve described so far
  have been built by EGU
• This is because of expedience, not philosophy
• We expect a great many components to be
  contributed by agencies
• This will give the Government the greatest
  leverage from its IT expenditure

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building a new component

• Many agencies have developed systems that are
  potentially useful to others
• These systems can be standardised and distributed
  as LEGO components
• Sometimes the agency can continue with
  maintenance and development of the system
• Sometimes the agency may want to hand maintenance
  and future development to the community
• Either the agency or an external party can host
  and operate the system for others

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step 1 build the system

• Agencies are building systems all the time that
  address common business needs
• These should be built in accordance with the
  e-GIF standards and Web Guidelines
• Agencies can consider making them available to
  others at the point of design
• EGU can provide advice on how best to
  generalise the system for wider government use
• There are generally few costs associated with
  doing this

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step 2 certify the system

• Once the system is complete, it needs to be e-GIF
  certified and documented
• This is so other agencies know how to use it and
  integrate it
• EGU will assist the agency with shepherding the
  component through the e-GIF process
• EGU will assist with preparing a Fact Sheet on
  the component and notifying the wider community
  about it

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step 3 work out the details

• The agency will have to decide whether they wish
  to host the system for other agencies
• If not, the hosting and maintenance will have to
  be arranged with an external service provider
• The agency will have to decide how the system
  will be maintained and developed in the future
• This framework will need to be incorporated into
  a standard MOU for the component
• EGU can provide the technical and commercial
  assistance necessary to work through this process

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steps in the process
design/build
step 1
e-GIF certification
step 2
promulgate/operate
step 3
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so why certify a component?

• Some agencies are centres of expertise for
  various business processes
• Creating and certifying a component allows other
  agencies to share that expertise
• The process can also spread maintenance and
  development obligations across the entire
  community
• Both agencies and the government as a whole get
  much better leverage from their investments

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dont certify everything!

• Some business processes are extremely specialised
• This may mean that there is very little market
  for a component-ised version
• The costs of turning it into a component and
  managing its maintenance may exceed the benefits
  of standardisation
• You can still build an e-GIF compliant system
  without turning it into a component
• If you need advice in this area, talk to EGU

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summary

• We expect agencies to both contribute components
  and consume them
• The key to making components inter-operate is to
  ensure they are e-GIF compliant
• Follow the build/certify/operate process to make
  your components available to others
• EGU will provide advice and assistance in how to
  run the process
• Our role is as a coordinator, not the exclusive
  developer of components