XML – in, out, in, out

2000-09-08

There were two seemingly conflicting reports about XML adoption last week - both appeared in UK IT rag Computer Weekly. The first trumpeted the fact that the Police in Scotland have decided to adopt an XML-based architecture for its main applications. The second dealt with the decision by the National Health Service (NHS) to stick with an EDI-based strategy. So, is XML right or is it wrong? Is XML ready or is it not? Perhaps most importantly, does the UK have a coherent strategy or does it not?

It is pleasing to note that the Scottish Police are not jumping straight into XML with both feet. A firearms licensing package has been built as a proof-of-concept system. This package is now to be piloted by Fife police force, before being rolled out across Scotland. Should the pilot prove successful, additional applications are planned including “command and control, personnel, custody, intelligence and crime management,” according to Computer Weekly. Already, sponsors of the firearms package are expressing delight at the fact that it took only 6 months to write, rather than the “six months … it would have taken in the past.” How very encouraging.

Meanwhile, south of the border the NHS is paining a different picture about XML. Far from the “flexible, scalable adjectives” being used in Scotland, NHS executives talk about XML being “uncoordinated” and less reliable than EDI. “If we go down the XML route now we would have to wait two years to get proper protocols,” said Rick Jones, author of a report into the use of XML for medical applications.

There seems to be a difference of perspective here. The Scottish Police are saying “let’s give it a go, nothing ventured, need the experience” and are having some good results. The NHS meanwhile are saying “not my job mate, it ain’t ready, we’ll stick with what we’ve got.” These approaches are diametrically opposed and only one of them permits the organisation concerned to keep on top of the new technologies. By burying its head in the sand, the NHS is missing out on more flexible, interoperable architectures, not to mention infrastructure and development cost savings and the potential for new applications.

It is worth mentioning a point made in each of the report – who is in charge. In the Scottish Police the forces themselves, driven by the Scottish Association of Chief Police Officers, decide IT strategy. Meanwhile in the NHS, it is the government Central IT Unit, Citu, that decides policy. It is fair enough that no organisation should be pushed into making technology decisions too early or for the wrong reasons, particularly if it relates to the health service. At the same time, it is unacceptable that the NHS rejects Citu’s strategy for reasons of “not invented here.” At the very least, the NHS should be prepared to adopt the XML strategy in principle, and to pilot it in non-contentious or low risk areas.

(First published 8 September 2000)