Data integration
Data comes from everywhere and in many different formats. Whether it’s a GIS file or some strange image format, sending and receiving data over various platforms and networks is the new reality. Our experience with data integration from disparate database can help you address problems of how to get what you know to where it can be useful.
My experience with data integration covers use of various integration tools, writing custom software to analyse and transform formats, to the architecture and design of successful data integration product.
Data standards (JusticeXML, NIEM, NIST, etc)
We love data standards, so it’s a good thing there are so many. Whether is XML, XSD, JSON, or some strange CSV-based file format, we’ve probably seem it before. We feel your pain! We’ve been part of standards committees, and we;ve based our software on them.
JusticeXML
My experience using the Global Justice XML Data Model (GJXDM or JusticeXML) started when I was designing InforceAB, a successor product to the CABS (Computer Arrest and Booking) system used throughout British Columbia and elsewhere in North America. When it came time to re-design the product, we decided on using an international standard as the basis for our data model. My experiences with JusticeXML ranged from generating the XML Schema Definitions (XSD) using the schema subsets, generating databases, code and user interfaces from the data model, and importing and transforming legacy arrest and booking data into the new model.
NIEM
The National Information Exchange Model resembles the kitchen sink metaphor in that it attempts to become a standard for information exchange across all levels of government. Given that government exchanges data on a lot of topic areas, the standard became a “standard of standards”, encompassing many standards within itself, including the aforementioned GJXDM.
NIEM in fact has many of the same features as GJXDM: references schemas, subset schemas, extension schemas, etc. My work with GJXDM and NIEM can help you decide where to apply NIEM conformance, and where to use leaner standards that support NIEM compliance.