This site provides a roadmap to justice XML resources, news and initiatives, and to the major organizations that support the creation and adoption of justice XML standards. SEARCH is involved in this area through participation in a variety of justice XML committees and task forces.
What is XML?
Justice XML is a tool to facilitate interoperability and information sharing among agencies and systems. It involves data, text, documents, transmission protocols and standards — really, a body of knowledge.
More specifically, XML (e
Xtensible
Markup
Language) is a structured language for describing information — such as an Arrest/Incident Report — being sent electronically by one agency to another. XML sets a standard for electronic information exchange and describes the data contained in documents and electronic transactions. XML is in a text format, license-free, platform-independent and well supported.
Justice XML Standards
XML specifications are guided by the standards of the (World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). XML has been reviewed and approved by the W3C, meaning it has been deemed stable and ready for widespread deployment. Information sharing is critical to effective justice systems operations, and standards are fundamental to enable this exchange.
Justice XML standards development is driven by the following objectives:
- Facilitate sharing of justice information and integration of justice information systems among various federal, state and regional jurisdictions
- Establish "global" information standards
- Guide and assist justice and public safety information systems developers
- Further other efforts to share justice information
XML Resources
Global Justice XML Document Model Newsletter
Newly released by Global: the Justice XML Data Model!
The Global Justice XML Data Model (GJXDM) 3.0, which incorporates a standard GJXDD (Data Dictionary), was officially released on January 15, 2004. The authoritative source for the GJXDM is
http://www.it.ojp.gov. Please check this site for the current:
- XML Schema rendering of the Global Justice XML Data Dictionary (GJXDD)
- A spreadsheet hierarchically listing XML types, elements, and attributes, as well as definitions for each property.
- Links to the code tables upon which the data dx relies.
- Reference Notes regarding past and future versions of the data model
- GJXDM software tools:
- A prototype search tool
- A subschema generator is anticipated to be available in the April-May 2004 timeframe
SEARCH has had a long-standing participation in the development of a Justice XML Data Dictionary, which uses data from SEARCH's
Justice Information Exchange Model project as source data.
Published by the Justice XML Structure Task Force:
Structure and Design Issues for Developing, Implementing, and Maintaining a Justice XML Data Dictionary 
(611kb)
Released by the Joint Task Force on Rap Sheet Standardization, March 2005:
Interstate Criminal History Transmission Specification, XML Version 3.0 
(972kb)
