The Semantic Wiki for Managing Environmental Information: EPA’s Office of Compliance

1. The Semantic Wiki for Managing Environmental Information:EPA’s Office of Compliance Brand L. Niemann, EPA OEI Enterprise Architecture Team and Co-Chair, Semantic Interoperability Community of Practice (SICoP) Best Practices Committee (BPC), Federal CIO Council September 25, 2006

2. Background • Lynn Vendinello heard you speak at the Managing Environmental Information Conference and found the Semantic Wiki approach interesting. We'd like to talk to you about OEI's work in this area and how it might apply to some of the "web work" our office supports. • Note: You might also want to speak with John Shirey since he has started an internal EPA Wiki. • Visual Knowledge demonstrated a Semantic Wiki “compliance” application for a major financial institution at our August 15th Workshop.

3. Outline • 1. Conference Presentations • 2. Wikis • 3. Semantic Wikis • 4. Piloting Opportunities • 5. Questions and Answers • Appendix: EPA Segment Architecture

4. 1. Conference Presentations • Environmental Compliance Consortium, Managing Environmental Information Forum, June 21, 2006, Philadelphia, PA • http://www.complianceconsortium.org/Events/MEI_Forum_June_06_Philadelphia/index.htm • My Presentations and Pilot Wiki Page: • 1. The Power of Networks for Environmental Protection: • http://colab.cim3.net/file/work/SICoP/2006-06-21/SICOP06212006.ppt • 2. Information Networks – Options and Issues: • http://colab.cim3.net/file/work/SICoP/2006-06-21/SICOP206212006.ppt • EPA Performance Data for DRM 2.0 • http://colab.cim3.net/cgi-bin/wiki.pl?EPAPerformanceDataforDRM2

5. 1. Conference Presentations DRM 1.0 SICoP All Three Ontologies Source: Expanding E-Government, Improved Service Delivery for the American People Using Information Technology, December 2005, pp. 2-3. http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/budintegration/expanding_egov_2005.pdf Slides 4 & 6 from June 21st Presentation #1

6. 1. Conference Presentations • Applying this to the “cross-states compliance history of facilities problem”: • Facility data is structured (tables), but there may be unstructured and/or semi-structured information (documents, emails, etc.) as well associated with it that needs to be related to the tables and accessible as well. • A “distributed but connectable” network can be built by having each facility and/or state publish the facility databases as standard nodes (e.g. Exchange Network and Central Data Exchange) or write/upload those data to a collaborative Wiki that is able to handle structured data by W3C standards and semantic agents. Slides 4 & 6 from June 21st Presentation #1

7. 1. Conference Presentations http://colab.cim3.net/cgi-bin/wiki.pl?EPAPerformanceDataforDRM2

8. 2. Wikis • "Wiki Wiki" is a reduplication of "wiki", a Hawaiian-language word for fast. • A wiki is a type of website that allows the visitors themselves to easily add, remove and otherwise edit and change some available content, sometimes without the need for registration. This ease of interaction and operation makes a wiki an effective tool for collaborative authoring. • See Wikipedia at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wiki • The GSA Office of Intergovernmental Solutions provides COLAB: An Open Collaborative Work Environment to Support Networking Among Communities of Practice: • COLAB includes a wiki, email discussion forum and message archive, shared file workspace, full text search, and portal (see next slide).

9. 2. Wikis http://colab.cim3.net/wiki

10. 2. Wikis • July 18, 2006, Open Collaboration: Networking Wiki Information Technology for Information Sharing and Knowledge Management: • http://colab.cim3.net/cgi-bin/wiki.pl?ExpeditionWorkshop/OpenCollaboration_NetworkingWikiInformationTechnology_2006_07_18 • August 21, 2006, The amazing Wikis: From the CIO Council to the CIA, the lightweight collaboration platform is taking hold—but it’s not a no-brainer. • http://www.gcn.com/print/25_25/41673-1.html

11. 2. Wikis • Federal Computer Week Survey: • Please describe the type collaboration technology you have adopted and the application for which it is used. • 1. COLAB: An Open Collaborative Work Environment (Wiki) and 2. Semantic Wikis (Data Modeling): • See 1. http://colab.cim3.net/wiki • See 2. http://vkwiki.visualknowledge.com/ • What lead you to settle on this particular approach? • 1. Evolved from needs to support Monthly Collaborative Expedition Workshops over past 4 years and 2. Need for SICoP to implement W3C Semantic Web Standards: • See 1. http://colab.cim3.net/cgi-bin/wiki.pl?ExpeditionWorkshop/OpenCollaboration_NetworkingWikiInformationTechnology_2006_07_18 • See 1. http://colab.cim3.net/cgi-bin/wiki.pl?ExpeditionWorkshop/OpenCollaboration_NetworkingSemanticInteroperability_2006_08_15 • See 2. http://colab.cim3.net/cgi-bin/wiki.pl?SICoP

12. 2. Wikis • Federal Computer Week Survey: • How has the technology improved operations or your agency's overall mission? • 1. EPA can now implement the new 2. Federal Enterprise Architecture's Data Reference Model 2.0: • See 1. http://colab.cim3.net/cgi-bin/wiki.pl?EPADataArchitectureforDRM2 • See 2. http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/egov/a-5-drm.html • What is the main advantage of this technology? What are its drawbacks? • The writeable Web (publish then edit), easy to learn, supports the way you work, inexpensive, supports W3C standards and open collaboration with open standards, supports distributed data modeling on the Web, and provides the common solution - shared services infrastructure the OMB Federal Enterprise Architecture is striving for to provide better citizen-centric services.

13. 2. Wikis • Federal Computer Week Survey: • What advice would you offer other government users interested in adopting collaboration tools? • Try conventional and Semantic Wikis before deciding on proprietary, expensive, thick client, hard to learn systems. • Any other thoughts on this subject? • How would you do data modeling on the Web without a Semantic Wiki? How would you provide every government employee a way to document their work, preserve their knowledge, and continue to contribute after retirement?

14. 2. Wikis • September 18, 2006, Tips for teamwork in an online world: Groups discover how collaboration software can boost productivity if used properly, http://www.fcw.com/article96045-09-18-06: • When in doubt, look for solutions based on standards, advised Brand Niemann, data architect in the Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of the CIO and co-chairman of the CIO Council’s Semantic Interoperability Community of Practice. • Because he is co-chairman of a CIO Council working group exploring the use of wikis based on World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) standards, Niemann nudges agencies in that direction. A wiki is a collaborative Web site with content that can be edited by any user with access to the site. • “The writeable Web is easy to learn, supports the way you work, is inexpensive and uses W3C standards to promote open collaboration,” Niemann said. “Try wikis before deciding on proprietary, expensive, thick-client, hard-to-learn systems.”

15. 3. Semantic Wikis • Natural evolution of work on the Federal Enterprise Architecture Data Reference Model 2.0: • DRM 2.0 developed using the COLAB (Wiki). • DRM 2.0 evolved to a Knowledge Reference Model with semantic metadata (RDF and OWL) by SICoP. • SICoP asked if the Knowledge Reference Model can be implemented in a Semantic Wiki. The answer was yes! • SICoP is tracking the research and development of about 20 Semantic Wikis and piloting several early implementations (see next slide).

16. 3. Semantic Wikis • Can your WIKI do security, custom forms or even basic semantics? The Visual Knowledge Semantic Wiki lets you decide who can see what concepts, how they see them and ultimately allow even a computer to understand the concepts in your Community. Check out some semantic WIKIs and start your own Semantic Wiki (see next slide).

17. 3. Semantic Wikis http://vkwiki.visualknowledge.com/

18. 3. Semantic Wikis • What does Visual Knowledge do? • Over the past 16 years Visual Knowledge (VK) has built an environment for developing applications for its clients which encompasses a broad architecture - one that is remarkably elegant in its small footprint and internal size. We build conventional applications that are driven by ontologies rather than by code. A great deal of our underlying systems and frameworks are also model driven; the entire architecture is extremely portable, fast and robust.

19. 3. Semantic Wikis • What does Visual Knowledge do (continued)? • Our software environment can provide real-time, virtual representations of a business, industry or culture. A key differentiator is our Semantic Agent architecture: a model-driven architecture from the application layer down to its infrastructural levels. It utilizes packages of Semantic Agents to provide web service and web-enabled applications. These models can also be built from ontologies using OWL or RDF.

20. 3. Semantic Wikis • What does Visual Knowledge do (continued)? • Our environment permits knowledge modelers, ontologists, or even domain experts, such as a business people or scientists, to create flexible and mutable models without needing to communicate through a programmer or a database. VK permits an expert in a particular domain to not only craft a model or simulation, but to actually turn on Semantic Agents so that they can operationally interact for a business or industry.

21. 3. Semantic Wikis

22. 4. Piloting Opportunities • What issues, such as content accuracy, do non-governmental networks need to address? • Answer 2: This is what I would like to pilot using a Semantic Wiki that addresses the scenario: “What is the compliance status of facility X?”, Using the following data sources: • US EPA • State • Facility Itself • Other • Answer 3: An example of how I would do that is shown in the following slides. Slides 15-16 from June 21st Presentation #2

23. 4. Piloting Opportunities • Current Work Flow Process: • Search for data and metadata sources. • Cut-and-paste those data sources to your tools, e.g. Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc. and deal with multiple proprietary formats. • Resolve the difference in semantic naming and identification technologies and standards used. • Model your information, e.g. table of contents, relational data structure, etc. for analysis and reporting. • Enter your information in a network collaboration tool to share it and connect it with others. • Semantic Wiki Work Flow Process: • Subscribe to information services. • Import, integrate, and analyze multiple proprietary formats. • Discover and connect relationships with Semantic Agents. • Make part or all of your information available on the public Web and/or secure private networks in W3C standard formats. Slides 15-16 from June 21st Presentation #2

24. 5. Questions and Answers • Contact Information: • Brand Niemann • Niemann.brand@epa.gov • 202-564-9491 • http://colab.cim3.net/cgi-bin/wiki.pl?BrandNiemann • Upcoming Free Conferences in October: • 5th Semantic Interoperability for E-Government, October 10-11th, MITRE, McLean, VA: • http://www.mitre.org/register/semantic • 2nd SOA for E-Government, October 30-31st, MITRE, McLean, VA: • http://www.mitre.org/register/soa

25. Appendix: EPA Segment Architecture • EPA Segments: • Services to Citizens (only 4 of 11 listed here): • Air Quality Management • Water Quality Management (I have the external-to-agency part of this) • Toxic Substances Management • Clean-up and Restoration • Support Delivery of Services: • Research & Science • Geospatial Services • Regulatory Development • Management of Government Resources: • IT Management • Records Management • Official Agency priority as reported to OMB –Serves as Test Case for Segment Architecture* • Administrative Services * I suggest using the Wiki and Semantic Wiki Infrastrucuture!

26. Appendix: EPA Segment Architecture • Federal Enterprise Architecture Program Management Office (FEA-PMO) Update* – Dick Burk, Chief Architect, Office of Management and Budget (OMB): • New guidance regarding segment architectures: • The beginning of the fiscal year kicks off the six month period when agency architects should be working with program managers to design segment architectures for lines of business. Agencies can take the opportunity over the next several months to develop Line of Business (LoB) architectures that meet business needs while aligning to their agency enterprise architecture. A key to success is building a level of trust and cooperation between the architects and program officials. This partnership requires time listening to business leaders, and replacing architect-speak with business-speak. • ‘Get out of your offices and stop drawing Visio diagrams and start helping the your business people and areas’ * The Federal Architect, December 2005, Volume 1, Issue 2, and the September 21st Architecture and Infrastructure Committee Meeting.