SEARCH Organizes Successful GJXDM Users' Conference

Back

SEARCH staff Catherine Plummer was one of the moderators at the GJXDM Users' Conference.

SEARCH staff organized, helped moderate and presented at the first annual Global Justice eXtensible Markup Language Data Model (GJXDM) Users' Conference, which focused on Data Model implementation and the issues, tools and techniques that will help justice and public safety organizations use the GJXDM to improve information sharing. The conference was held June 8-10, 2005, in Atlanta, Georgia.

The Users' Conference was intended to support nationwide implementations of the GJXDM by offering detailed information on the application of XML technologies, specifically using the GJXDM, to enable and facilitate all aspects of justice information sharing; the delivery of justice, public safety and incident management; and the securing of our homeland.

The conference was sponsored by the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), in partnership with SEARCH and the GJXDM Training and Technical Assistance Committee. The successful event drew practitioners nationwide to hear from experts about the practical application of the GJXDM and to network with their peers, and featured a keynote address on collaborative leadership from BJA Director Domingo Herraiz.

The conference featured a range of sessions focusing on the policy and technical drivers pushing organizations to adopt the GJXDM and on specific implementation tools and techniques. Sessions were offered tailored to policy, management, operations and technical staff. Speakers were featured from a variety of federal and state agencies, justice organizations and solution providers, including the U.S. DOJ and DHS, the states of Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Ohio, California, Massachusetts, Washington and Arizona, SEARCH, Georgia Tech Research Institute, National Center for State Courts, NLETS and the IJIS Institute.

See the conference Web site, which features downloadable PowerPoints of many of the conference presentations.

XML: An enabler for increasing the sharing of information, and a key technology for assisting government organizations in exchanging information and conducting business. It's been called "the glue to interoperability."

GJXDM: An XML standard designed specifically for the information exchange requirements of the justice and public safety communities, providing them with a tool to effectively share data and information in a timely manner. The Global JXDM removes the burden from agencies to independently create exchange standards, and because of its extensibility, there is more flexibility to deal with unique agency requirements and changes. Through the use of a common vocabulary that is understood system to system, Global JXDM enables access from multiple sources and reuse in multiple applications. For details, see DOJ's GJXDM Web site.