Semantic Interoperability

1

• Semantic Interoperability
• How eBusiness standardization is making progress
• Barbara Gatti
• CEN/ISSS Workshop Manager
• Inter-OP ESA 2005 Genève, 22 February 2005

2
Overview

• CEN/ISSS eBIF
• Other related CEN/ISSS activities
• UN/CEFACT
• CEN/ISSS WS/eBES

3
CEN/ISSS

• The mission of CEN/ISSS is to provide market
  players with a comprehensive and integrated range
  of standardization-oriented services and
  products, in order to contribute to the success
  of the Information Society in Europe
• Created in mid-1997, CEN/ISSS acts as a focal
  point for ICT issues within CEN
• Provides consensus documents through Workshops,
  TCs and Focus Groups
• Other activities (RD links, consortia overview,
  etc.)

4
Some data

• 8 Technical Committees producing formal ENs
• 50 Workshops from 1998
• 12 WSs open, 4 proposed
• 75 CWAs
• 160.000 CWAs downloads
• 800 registered WSs participants, 55 countries

5
eBusiness Interoperability Forum

• eBIF should serve as the European platform for
  the consideration of interoperability solutions
  relating to eBusiness, and make strategic
  recommendations concerning standardization
  activities required
• Objectives
• Improve awareness of interoperability issues
• Overview of eBusiness standards issues generally
• Recommendations on future standards
• Overview/coordination of CEN/ISSS activities
• Liaison with European research projects and other
  interoperability initiatives globally

6
eBIF in practice (2)

• Chair Dick Raman, TIE
• Vice Chairs David Sommer, CompTIA
• Freek Posthumus, NORMAPME
  
• Secretariat CEN/ISSS
• Currently 70 on exploder (different
  stakeholders)
• Launched in 2004 -3 working meetings in 2004

7
eBIF achievements in 2004 (3)

• Some activities started
• Forum has already provided advice and opinion on
  new standards activities
• Established links with some Asian countries
  (Korea, China, Japan)
• Collaboration starting with NIST eBusiness
  Standards Convergence initiative

8
eBIF challenges x 2005 (4)

• Next meeting 1st March
• - Strengthening collaboration with other
  interoperability initiatives
• - Recommendations on standards activities
• Conference to be held end 2005 (Brussels?)
• - role of standards in eBusiness
  interoperability
• role for Europe in eBusiness interoperability
• under definition

9
CEN/ISSS other relevant activities

• eGovernment FG
• eHealth Standardization FG
• WS/eInvoicing
• WS/eCAT e-catalogues and product classification
  schemas
• WS/eProcurement
• WS/TEX-WEAVE Textile and clothing industry
• WS/ADNOM EU Network for administrative
  nomenclature

10
COPRAS

• Co-operation platform for research and
  standardization
• Objective
• To establish a supporting action to enable FP6
  IST projects to interface with standardization
  activities while increasing standards awareness
  within RDT area
• IST SSA 2004-2006
• CEN, CENELEC, ETSI, W3C, The Open Group

11
COPRAS - achievements

• All calls 1 2 projects addressed
• Selected projects invited to k.o. meeting
• 14 selected for preparation Standards Action
  Plans
• Broadband access Gandalf Simplicity Broadwan
• Security issues Secoqc
• Semantic based systems Similar
• Languages/multimodal interfaces Talk
• Smart houseshome networking Enthrone,
  ePerSpace, MediaNet, TEAHA
• eLearning ELeGI, TERCERT, UNFOLS, ICLASS

12
UN/CEFACT

• United Nations Center for facilitation of
  Administration, Commerce and Transport
• Within the UN, UN/CEFACT is located in the
• Economic Commission for Europe (UN-ECE)
• Is the focal international arena for development
  and adoption of eBusiness standards for enabling
  international trade and eGovernment to function
  effectively
• 1500 experts (from both public and private
  sector) participate in the work
• re-organized in 2004

13
UN/CEFACT structure

• CEFACT plenary (plenary bureau)
• UN/CEFACT Secretariat
• Forum Mgmt Group
• Service Support Providers
• Permanent groups
• TBG International Trade Business Processes
• LG Legal
• TMG Techniques Methodologies
• ICG Information Content Management
• ATG Applied Technologies
• Rapporteurs (regional, standards, legal)

14
ebXML

• MoU between UN/CEFACT and OASIS (1999)
• UN/CEFACT semantics
• 13 sectors
• transactions, data, xml schemas, CCTS,
  naming/design rules
• OASIS technical infrastructure

15
Core components

• Current submission list
• - TBG
• TBG1 Supply Chain and eProcurement
• TBG3 Transport
• TBG6 Construction (eTendering)
• TBG8 Insurance
• - Joint UN/CEFACT ISO
• UNTDED including WCO UNeDocs
• - External
• EAN.UCC (now GS1)
• SWIFT
• OAGi
• OASIS UBL
• US Government
• Open Exchange
• ebXML Asia

16
CEN/ISSS WS/eBES

• EU Entry point to UN/CEFACT
• Dealing with ebXML and EDI
• Work is carried out in working groups (EEGs)
  which develop inputs to UN/CEFACT standardization
  process
• EEG1 trade and supply chain
• EEG2 transport
• EEG3 customs
• EEG4 finance
• EEG5 Architecture, Engineering and Construction
• EEG6 statistics
• EEG7 insurance
• EEG8 tourism, travel and leisure
• EEG9 healthcare
• EEG11 accounting

17
UN/CEFACT - conclusions

• UN/CEFACT (and CEN/ISSS WS/eBES) can be the
  platform for dialogue between private and public
  users
• ongoing projects focus on eCatalog and eTendering
  with participants from UK, FR, DE, JP, Korea
• More participation from industry is necessary to
  identify specific requirements

18

• URL http//www.cenorm.be/isss
• www.unece.org/cefact/
• www.disa.org
• e-mail barbara.gatti_at_cenorm.be
• Thank you!