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New JIEM 5.0 Improves Tool's Alignment with Global Products, Includes Usability Enhancements

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SEARCH is pleased to announce the release of version 5.0 of JIEM®, the Justice Information Exchange Model, on November 10, 2010.

Since its creation 12 years ago, JIEM has evolved from its original web-based format to a robust requirements and data modeling tool. Over the years, SEARCH and the U.S. Department of Justice Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) have added capabilities to maintain JIEM's alignment with community best practices, such as leveraging the National Information Exchange Model (NIEM) and Global Justice Reference Architecture (JRA).

"SEARCH developed JIEM 5.0 to improve the tool's alignment with several Global Justice Information Sharing Initiative work products and to allow more robust, seamless development of NIEM Information Exchange Package Documentation (IEPD) artifacts," noted Mr. Scott Came, Director of SEARCH's Systems and Technology team.

"With JIEM 5.0, users now have a single tool they can use to capture exchange requirements, create JRA service specifications, and model information content and semantics — all in alignment with NIEM and Global guidelines — and export finished artifacts critical to downstream development and implementation activities," he said.

Mr. Came added that JIEM 5.0 also implements several usability enhancements suggested by the JIEM user community and BJA. (The JIEM user community has nearly 550 members.)

Current JIEM users may access the JIEM 5.0 Quick Start Screencast and download the new version of the JIEM Tool from the JIEM Community Site. New users must complete the online JIEM certification training and pass the certification exam.

The Justice Information Exchange Model was developed by SEARCH through funding from the U.S. Department of Justice Bureau of Justice Assistance.

SEARCH's JIEM Website provides more details on JIEM 5.0 and its new features. Briefly, these include the ability to:
  • Document information exchange policies and rules in a structured manner that conforms to the Global Technical Privacy Framework.
  • Generate and export Global JRA Service Specification Packages.
  • Reuse existing IEPDs by importing already-defined NIEM wantlist content.
  • Export JIEM models as NIEM-conformant IEPDs, including schemas, mapping spreadsheets and other artifacts, per established best practices and guidelines. This enables subsequent system development and implementation.

For any questions regarding JIEM, contact SEARCH Systems and Technology staff at jiem@search.org.