| Press Release |
December 11, 1998
New Media Development Association
| JAPAN'S FIRST "INTERNET ELECTRONIC APPLICATION SYSTEM WITH XML/RDF DOCUMENTS" - A prototype for electronic application and report systems to the government |
With financing from the Ministry of International Trade and Industry, the New Media Development Association (NMDA) (chairman -Masao Kamei) has developed Japan's first "Internet electronic application system for XML/RDF documents" as part of the 1996 supplementary budget "projects of specific program high-level utilization, etc." implemented by Japan's Information-technology Promotion Agency. Starting next week, NMDA will begin validation testing using application operations of the Ministry of International Trade and Industry.
This electronic application system has been developed for unified adoption of data codes, application and report method standardization, protocols and procedures, etc., with the purpose of helping improve efficiency and provide smoother operation in the three common task areas specified in the "Review Guidelines for Electronic Procedures for Applications, Reports, etc." (July 18, 1997 information system coordination meeting of all ministries). The three common tasks are: (1) ID verification and security assurance, (2) service fee payment method, and (3) data exchange between administrative information systems.
The electronic application system establishes a working party made up of experts from the seven main domestic system houses within NMDA - NEC, Mitsubishi Electric, IBM Japan, Fujitsu, Toshiba, Nihon Unisys and Hitachi. It produces a common infrastructure for electronic applications, reports, etc. by unifying the implementation specifications. The development fruition, which is the implementation specifications for "application service fee payment verification technology," "XML application documents" and "secure transmission protocol between intranets" will be unveiled. NMDA's next aim is wide dissemination and expansion.
1. Objective of Electronic Application System Development
Transactions between enterprises through the Internet are increasing along with growing cooperation and collaboration between enterprises. For various administrative procedures between civilians, enterprises, etc., efforts are also needed to promote electronic applications, reports, etc. in conformity with the operation content. But for the early realization of such advantages as applicant defrayal reduction and improved efficiency and speed in administrative examinations, it is necessary that technology is developed in conformity with the common tasks mentioned earlier, i.e., that the essential technological components are developed, and that an infrastructure for electronic applications, reports, etc. is established at all ministries.
With that in mind, NMDA developed a client system for the applicant (private enterprise), or application document submitter, and a server system for the administrative body (government), or reception counter, while developing the needed technological components for promoting the adoption of electronic applications, reports, etc. The technological components include the technology that generates the online application model and the technology that solves the common tasks for "online applications" in which the application is converted into electronic form and transmitted through the Internet. Examples of the common tasks are service charge payment methods, ID verification methods and prevention of eavesdropping, tampering, etc. when transmitting on the Internet.
2. Main Functions of Electronic Application System
Electronic application documentation has authenticated documentation status and requires structured documentation (formatted documentation) as well as signatory endorsement (equivalent to corporate signet stamp of applicant). Authenticity verification, evidence assurance, etc. are necessary. Furthermore, promotion of improved efficiency also becomes crucial in the various exchanges between the applicant and the administration during examination and in the data coordination between the data on the application form and the examination system of the administration. This is from the viewpoint of applicant defrayal reduction and improved efficiency and speed in application reception operations.
In the client system for the applicant (private enterprise), features such as the following are provided: (a) documentation support in appending PDF files, HTML files, etc. to the XML-electronicized application documents, (b) proof (electronic revenue stamp) of application service charge payment, and (c) digital signature (equivalent to corporate signet) of responsible person who gives authenticated documentation status to the application. In addition, (d) a data coordination function for repeated application procedures, large-volume data appending, etc. is provided.
Conversely, the following features are provided in the server system for the administrative body (government): (a) verification of authenticated documentation status (responsible person's digital signature) of submitted electronic application document, (b) verification of application service fee payment, (c) format examination to verify excess or lack of appended documents, and (d) notification of applicant of receipt number. In addition, features such as the following are provided for documents that have undergone format examination: (a) data coordination together with content examination, (b) tag notification for writing comments into the application content and notifying the applicant, (c) notification of completion of examination, and (d) verification and storage of authenticated documentation status. The authenticated documentation status verification and storage function are carried out by the Authenticated Secure Electronic Storage Equipment.
The electronic application system developed this time has been redeveloped and utilizes "secure transmission protocol between intranets," which improves the conventional security for Internet use. It offers SMTP selection in addition to HTTP as the transmission protocol. Along with assuring high-level security for Internet use, "secure transmission protocol between intranets" conducts virus checks and compression & depression of electronicized application documents within the intranets of both the applicant and the administrative body. It utilizes a transmission sending & receiving system with a secure format. It also has a function that verifies the normal arrival of the applicant's documents at the administrative body.
3. Subject and Content of Validation Test
In order to verify the appropriateness with actual operations of application, report, etc., model application operations will be selected from the application and report procedures of the Ministry of International Trade and Industry. Electronic applications by WWW (HTTP) for XML documentation will then be validated. The operability, reliability, processing capability and facility of the environment and implementation of the electronic application system for business operation configuration will be validated.
| Glossary |
1. XML
Acronym for eXtensible Markup Language. Established at the W3C (World Wide Web Consortium), XML is a description language positioned as a subset of SGML, which is adopted as the standard of electronic document description, etc. It has the merits of both HTML and SGML. For example, it expands HTML link function and optimizes SGML's compatibility with the Internet. XML is expected to be widely used in the coming administrative informationization.
2. RDF
Acronym for Resource Description Framework. Established at the W3C (World Wide Web Consortium), the RDF integrates a viraiety of application forms using XML as an interchange syntax. The RDF specifications provide a lightweight ontology system to support the exchange of knowledge on the web.
3. HTML
Acronym for HyperText Markup Language which is used to describe hypertext documents such as Internet home pages. With HTML, symbols called tags are padded into the text file to indicate the structure and style of the headings, text and other documentation. Other elements related to documentation, graphics, etc. can also be expressed by tag padding.
4. HTTP
Acronym for HyperText Transport Protocol, a procedure for displaying HTML documentation, inputting information, etc. between WWW server and WWW client.
5. SMTP
Acronym for Simple Mail Transfer Protocol, a procedure for sending and receiving e-mail in cases such as transferring e-mail from client to server and transferring e-mail from server to server.
6. PDF
Acronym for Portable Document Format, a data format developed by Adobe Systems Inc. of the USA for distributing layout-applied documentation by network. Documentation prepared with software for word processor, DTP, etc. is stored in its layout image state, allowing high layout reproducibility compared to HTML files.
7. Authenticated Secure Electronic Storage Equipment
Based on the Authenticated Secure Electronic Storage System developed by NMDA last fiscal year. It is electronic storage equipment with "storage capacity," "consistency," "provability," etc. equivalent to that of paper documentation. Not only will the equipment be used for storing public service documentation, it is also expected to satisfy the requirements for implementing the electronic storage of accounting books for private enterprises.