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Recommendations: building regional data integration via XML web services
Government entities at the state, regional, county and
municipal levels can further regional data integration by taking the
following steps:
(1)
Data that is already being published as HTML should also be published
as XML. (Permissions and download limitations applied to the HTML can also
be applied to the XML.)
(2)
Any data that can be made available without jeopardizing
confidentiality should be published as XML. Agencies should consider
aggregating confidential data to the census tract or zip code level, and
making the aggregations available as XML.
(3)
Very large datasets with high user demand should be published as a
series of XML updates (for example “Records updated January thru March
2006”, “Records updated April thru June 2006” and so on). This, coupled with
a one-time export of archival data, allows partners to replicate large
databases locally while avoiding the discrepancies that often arise from
replication.
(4)
As an alternative to publishing XML web services using the SOAP
standard, agencies should consider publishing XML web services using simple
HTTP requests, if SOAP implementation represents a barrier for the agency
due to limited IT programming capacity.
(5)
As a (less preferable) alternative to publishing XML web services to
make their data available, agencies should consider granting CMAP access to
the data (via regular exports) with the understanding that CMAP will publish
the data as XML, if the agency is unwilling or unable to publish the
services itself.
(6)
Cost recovery for web service development work might be considered
for web service users who are neither public entities nor non-profit
organizations. For example, web services that are likely to generate high
demand from for-profit corporations might be structured to require access
keys that could be granted for a fee (perhaps using tiered fees to reflect
higher or lower download limits).
(7)
GIS layers with high user demand should be made available as GML.
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