Building an information architecture across government

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Building an information architecture across
government

• Stella G Dextre Clarke
• Information Consultant

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The fount of all knowledge
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All the information pooled, and you can fish it
for it
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Real architecture the Getty Center
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Virtual architecture for public sector
information/services

• A set of standards
• e-GIF (e-Government Interoperability Framework)
• Within the e-GIF the e-GMS (e-Government
  Metadata Standard)
• Led by Office of the e-Envoy
• e-GMS overseen by Metadata Working Group (MWG)

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Librarians love Metadata
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..so do records managers
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Outcomes for the e-GMS

• MWG infiltrated by librarians (big influence from
  records managers too)
• If we can label it consistently, we can manage
  it
• Controlled vocabulary for the Subject element of
  the e-GMS
• ..and it is mandatory!

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GCL (Government Category List)
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GCL in a nutshell

• Browse tool rather than search tool
• 400 categories
• 1300 lead-in terms
• Polyhierarchical
• Citizen-oriented
• Small and simple

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By the way Webmasters dont love Metadata (?)
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So far so good everything in the garden is rosy
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But where is the product?

• Internet websites
• Intranets
• EDRMS (electronic document and record management
  systems)
• KMS (knowledge management systems)
• Other systems/networks/databases of shared
  resources

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Why can we not see it?

• Its difficult
• Its misunderstood
• Not enough incentives/penalties
• Expensive to implement
• Software products dont support it
• More time is needed

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The benefits are real

• You can find things
• Efficient workflow
• Mission delivery
• But a leap of faith is needed

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What can WE do about it?

• Tool up
• Demonstrate things that work
• Team up with colleagues (end-users, IT
  developers, subject experts, budget-holders)
• Continue to infiltrate the seats of power

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With the help of our friends, well build that
architecture!

• Key references
• www.govtalk.gov.uk (the site for documentation
  and discussion of all interoperability matters)
• http//www.govtalk.gov.uk/schemasstandards/metadat
  a_document.asp?docnum768 (V2 of e-GMS. V3 is
  coming out soon theres a draft on the site)
• http//www.govtalk.gov.uk/schemasstandards/gcl.asp
  (GCL Version 2)
• SDClarke_at_LukeHouse.demon.co.uk