1. Michael Daconta & James Feagans
October 12, 2005
Michael Daconta & James Feagans
NIEM Project Manager

2. The Exchange Problem XML exchanges are easy … too easy.
SOA emergence will increase the # of XML exchanges.
Without a framework for reuse, we will create XML Stovepipes.
NIEM is striving towards National information sharing
Extending “grass roots” “bottom-up” approach by Global Justice Community
Synergy with the Federal Enterprise Architecture Data Reference Model (Federal framework supporting a national approach)

3. What is NIEM?
An interagency initiative to provide the foundation and building blocks for national-level interoperable information sharing and data exchange.
Initiated as a joint venture between the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) with outreach to other departments and agencies.
Formally announced at the Global Justice XML Data Model (Global JXDM) Executive Briefing on February 28, 2005.

4. NIEM Program Vision
Practitioners at all levels of government share accurate, complete, timely and appropriately secured information to enable informed decision-making to ensure homeland security and public safety.

5. NIEM Program Goals
Timely Detection, Prevention, and Response to Terrorism, Criminal Activity and other Emergencies
Operational efficiency and effectiveness
Overcome obstacles to information sharing between all forms of government
Leverage technology/lessons learned/success
To improve internal processes
To improve external sharing and productivity
Support information sharing programs (i.e. LEISP)
Implementation of FEA Data Reference Model
Improve Shared situational awareness and collaboration

6. NIEM Program Principles
Organization A
TriggerEvent
Organization B
ResultingEvent
Message
Appropriate Security & Privacy Protections
Built off existing infrastructure
Information exchange occurs at key decision points in the process
Technical solutions driven by functional requirements

7. Technical Architecture
NIEM Transition
NIEM Pilots
Add Content
Harmonize
Re-engineer
Technical Architecture
GJXDM
NIEM
Broaden Governance
Re-Work Process
Expand Collaboration
Increase User Base
Review and Comment

8. NIEM Initial Business Domain Scope
The scope of data for inclusion into the NIEM will cover multiple business domains
Initial NIEM domain examples:
Law Enforcement
Emergency Management
Intelligence
Border Security
Courts
Probation
Parole
Corrections
Public Health
Fire
EMS
Disaster Management

9. What Does NIEM Include? Data Access and Exchange Framework
A Repository of …
Reusable components for constructing Information Exchange Package (IEP) specifications
Reusable IEP descriptions (IEPD’s)
Specifications for …
Building IEP’s from NIEM components
Reusing NIEM IEPD’s
Extending and adapting NIEM components and IEP’s for domain-specific applications
Processes for …
Submitting new content, change requests, and trouble reports
Collaborative shared governance
Support infrastructure
Support Tools

10. NIEM Technical Architecture
NIEM Model
Modular Component-Based Model
Reusable Core and Domain-specific Components: Building Blocks for Exchange Messages (Payloads)
Reusable Exchange Message Templates (IEPD’s)
NIEM Technical Framework
Technical Framework for building Reusable Components and Exchange Messages
Technical Specifications
Namespaces
Naming and Design Rules

11. NIEM Technical Architecture - Modular data model
Modular data model, derived from GJXDM
The three layers are:
Universal Core: entities and attributes common across most or all domains.
Common Core: entities and attributes common across two or more domains.
Domain-specific: entities and attributes specific to a single domain.

12. NIEM Model - Core and Domain-Specific Components
Major Domains
Homeland
Law
COMMON
CORE
Security
Enforcement
Border Security,
Emergency Management,
Intelligence, etc.
Courts, Probation,
Transportation Security, etc.
Parole, Corrections, etc.
UNIVERSAL
COMMON
CORE
CORE
COMMON
CORE
Immigration
Juvenile Justice,
Public Health, etc.
Education, etc.
Secondary
etc.
Domains
Other Domains

13. Modular Data Model – “The Core”
NIEM Core (a collection of namespaces)
Core: Joint governance through NIEM
Core
Universal namespace
Structures namespace
The minimally supported set for all participating domains; universally understood; very stable; minimal or no subsetting
Common namespace
Requires central governance and reconciliation; but relatively stable
BloodTypeCode
BloodTypeCodeType
Where the tiger teams operate
Universal namespace holds components and properties that can be utilized across all domains
Common namespace that holds components and properties that could be utilized by a minimum of two domains.
Structure namespace for components and properties that identify functional relationships between information components. Domain-Specific section holds a single namespace for each current and future domain participating in the use of the NIEM standard.
As more domains participate in the use of the NIEM, more Domain-Specific namespaces will be added. As more domains identify sharable components, components will migrate up to the Common namespace, and as domains identify components as being utilized by all, the components will move into the Universal namespace.
Intelligence
namespace
NIEM Participants:
Bring domain content to NIEM
Conform to NIEM NDR
Agree to NIEM governance policies and procedures
Participate in NIEM governance
Justice namespace
EmergencyMgt namespace
Other
namespace
Domains
Governed by XSTF-like committees that coordinate and cooperate with NIEM SC

14. NIEM Technical Architecture - Template Library
Exchange Package Template Library
Set of reusable message types and a message type hierarchy.
Message type hierarchy will begin with the most generic communications transactions (e.g., alert, request, response, update, etc.) and extend down to more specialized templates for specific transactions
provides a simplified view of the NIEM concept and framework which illustrates that the core components are used to build information exchange package (IEP) templates in the form of XML schemas. The supporting documentation for each IEP is referred to as an IEP Description (IEPD).

15. NIEM Technical Architecture - Tools
Developing and adapting tools that will build a comprehensive NIEM Tool Suite and viewing tools that support collaborative development and deployment of data access and exchange capabilities.
Selected GJXDM tools will be adapted and extended for use with the NIEM.
NIEM open standards architecture will enable and facilitate the use of off-the-shelf commercial and shareware tools, and will encourage vender development of new tools to support the NIEM processes.

16. Exchange Development Process
Structured approach to defining the protocol and methodology that domain users and stakeholders will follow to participate in NIEM
Transforms business requirements into extensible markup language (XML) documents for use in data sharing architectures.

17. Core NIEM Overall Concept Governance Bodies
Information Exchange Package Descriptions (IEPDs)
Virtual Object Reuse Repository – types, properties, business containers, msg constructs, service metadata, …
AmberAlert <AmberAlert>
Transport <Transport>
Homeland Security
Health
IEPD Template
EDXL_Msg
Core
Universal-Core
Emergency Management
Transportation
Justice
Semantically consistent across all domains
IEPDs
New IEPDs
Another thread in the process of defining the data elements that belong in the core (either U-Core or Core) is through the analysis of existing or needed information exchanges.
Besides the obvious benefits to the definition of a core, this process will also become a model for the future information exchange development.
Tools, methods, mapping, process, training, etc.
New IEPDs
Collaborative Tools
(for distributed consensus)
Governance Bodies
New components
Exchange Requirements
New reusable components

18. NIEM Development Approach
Global XSTF
Global JXDM (operational)
3.0.2
3.0.3
3.1.0
3.N
merge
initialize
NIEM Governance
NIEM
0.1
0.2
0.N
1.0
The basic steps to the first production release of NIEM are as follows:
1.      Begin with GJXDM Version as the initial basis standard for the NIEM,
2.      Identify universal and Common core components within the GJXDM,
3.      Add content to meet the NIEM multi-domain requirements,
4.      Re-engineer the GJXDM design to a modular component-based architecture which is extensible and scalable
5.      Define and develop the NIEM products, processes, tools and support infrastructure
6.      Evolve the NIEM architecture, content, products, processes, tools, and support infrastructure through a series of pre-production releases (0.n), and
Issue the initial production release of NIEM
Strong Foundation
Scaleable
Sustainable
Initial Governance as a Collaborative Partnership
Leverage Expertise
Reuse GJXDM Operational Domain
Prove Concepts through Pilot Projects
Minimize Risk of GJXDM Rework
Provide Benefit to GJXDM Users
Rapid Incremental Development
Collaboration with Stakeholders Executing
NIEM Incremental Pilot Development
Built on Layers of Incremental Development
Success
Supporting National Governance Framework
with Collaborative Technologies
Re-usable Technical Implementation
Process (well defined & tested)
Information Exchange Package Automation
Performance Metrics

19. Operational and Tactical Integration
Continue with GJXDM as is
Global XSTF
GJXDM
3.N
NIEM 1.0
U-Core
evaluate for:
Justice domain + NIEM impact
Core
Homeland Security
Justice
Interim NIEM
Governance
NIEM
XSTF
DMWG
1.0
Integration of products
Utilize existing governance and information infrastructure
NCF provides a modular structure to support a Federation of governance (National coordination)
Other
Robust NIEM Governance

20. NIEM Governance – “The Challenge”
Current Vertical “SILO” View
(Federal)
Federal CIO Council
DNI CIO
DHS CIO
DOJ CIO
OMB
FEA PMO IC
Information Sharing
Working Group
DHS
Information Sharing
Working Group
DOJ
Information Sharing
Working Group
State, Local, Tribal
Advisory Council
Organization
CIO
Chief Architects Forum (CAF)
IC Chief Architect
DHS Chief Architect
DOJ Chief Architect
Funding
Programs
IC EA
Community of Practice
DHS
Community of Practice
DOJ
Community of Practice
Guidance
Organization
Chief Architect

21. NIEM Governance Structure

22. NIEM Governance “The Horizontal Glue”
DHS CIO
DOJ CIO
Other Partner CIO
NEIM Executive Steering Committee
NIEM Program Management Council
Chief Architect
DHS Chief Architect
DHS
Communities of Practice
DOJ Chief Architect
DOJ
NIEM Technical Committee
The DNI has a requirement to stand up a Governance process to comply with EO recommendations
The NISWG reviews the requirement and forwards it to the IC EA COP.
The IC EA COP is responsible for architectural coordination.
The IC MWG is responsible for Information Sharing Standards coordination
The IC SWG is responsible for technical Standards coordination
The IC EA COP recommends a data exchange format to the NISWG
Data exchange format
NISWG coordinates with state, local, & Tribal council representatives
reviews, approves and forwards the recommendations to the NCF Executive Council
NISWG issues actionable guidance to programs
The NCF Executive Council:
Consists of NCF participant agency's CIO's or their representatives
Coordinates with Government Council of CIOs to assess FEA PMO Reference Model impacts
The approved data exchange format is integrated into NIEM

23. NIEM Support Infrastructure
A Repository of …
Reusable components for constructing Information Exchange Package (IEP) specifications
Reusable IEP descriptions (IEPD’s)
NIEM IEP Library, …
Specifications and Guides for …
Building IEP’s from NIEM components
Reusing NIEM IEPD’s
Extending and adapting NIEM components and IEP’s for domain-specific applications, …
User Help …
Training, Workshops, Conferences
User/Discussion Groups, Helpdesk, …
Support Tools …
Configuration Management
IEP Development, …

24. Shaping NIEM 1.0 Reviewing and providing Feedback on NIEM Deliverables
NIEM 0.n Releases
Technical Architecture
Content
Functional ConOps
Interim Governance Plan
NIEM NDR
Other Deliverables
NIEM Public Website:
Establishing a NIEM Pilot Project
Developing and implementing NIEM exchange messages
Technology Evaluation
Adding Content
Each of whom brings unique perspective and contributes important content to the NIEM development efforts.
Feedback and lessons learned from the early adopter pilots will be a principal driver in evolving NIEM to new versions and addressing the information sharing requirements of this broad and expanding community.
Will also continue to function and develop information exchange standards particular to their individual domains, and these standards will likely identify additional candidates for Common and Universal Core data components for NIEM.
Participating on NIEM Workings, Committees, and Tiger Teams