Massachusetts CJIS-XML: A GJXDM Implementation Case Study

Massachusetts CJIS-XML: A GJXDM

Implementation Case Study

Commonwealth of Massachusetts

Massachusetts CJIS XML: A GJXDM Implementation Case Study

Presented By:- The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

(Executive Office of Public Safety and the

Criminal History System Board)

- xFact, Inc.

SEARCH 2006 Symposium on Justice and Public Safety Information SharingMarch 15, 2006 | Washington, DC




Agenda

• Massachusetts CJIS XML Background – Business Goals– Transformation Goals

• Massachusetts CJIS XML Architecture– Service Oriented Architecture (SOA)– Overall Description of Architecture

• Massachusetts CJIS XML Implementation– History– Current Status– Demonstration

• Lessons Learned• Update on Massachusetts ICJIS • Questions and Answers




Massachusetts CJIS XML Background: Out with the Old




Massachusetts CJIS XML Background: In with the New




Massachusetts CJIS XML Background: Business Goals

• Business Goals:– Migrate from mainframe based to web-based systems

– Expand information sharing

– Provide standards-based data exchanges

– Provide new device independent content (i.e., driver license photos, mugshots)

Lesson Learned: Be able to improvise without sacrificing standardsNumerous earlier CJIS planning efforts yielded only partial success. The key is being able to improvise without sacrificing standards. Mobile requirements forced EOPS/CHSB to focus on developing a standards based interface that will not only meet the requirements of mobile vendors, but also serve the needs of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. In 2003, EOPS created a Mass Justice XML data dictionary based on the GJXDM funded by various grants.




Massachusetts CJIS XML Background: Transformation Goals

• Transformation Goals:– Support user community by creating effective implementation

documentation

– Conduct implementer training – help them understand SOA

– Select a vendor to help to train and implement early implementations• Vendor help was needed to transition technical staff from mainframe based

computing to non-mainframe computing• Vendor was selected to create a SOA bus based on GJXDM

– Prepare to retool and retrain your technology and data center staff to provide ongoing user support

– Prepare to support other agencies in their implementation efforts.

Lessons Learned: Keep it Simple!




Massachusetts CJIS XML Architecture:Service Oriented Architecture in Massachusetts

• Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) Defined:– Centralized View: In SOA, independent and/or disparate systems are presented in as a

unified system. A SOA helps to provide a centralized view by providing standardized access to systems as well as a framework for linking systems on demand.

– Component Based: A SOA is component-based architecture. A component is characterized as a self-contained and well-defined item (i.e., service) that provides a specific function or group of related functions. Each component communicates with other components by using the interfaces (rules for interaction) exposed by each individual component.

– The concept of a SOA is based on the following key principles:• Services are meaningful and have simple to use interfaces that define how to interact with and/or use

the service

• Services are self-contained and do not depend on the context or state of other services

• Services may be combined with one or more services to coordinate activities or functionality

• Services provide a well-defined task or function, and when asked to perform that function guarantee the execution of it

• The details of how a service is implemented is not exposed to developers or systems; services are like black boxes that are only known to accept a desired request and produce an expected result

• Services should be language and operating system independent




Massachusetts CJIS XML Architecture:Service Oriented Architecture in Massachusetts Cont.

• Web Services: A SOA needs a software bus or connection technology on which the components/services can exchange information. Web Services combine the use of Internet- and XML-based technologies to provide such a bus, allowing services to be accessed using standards-based protocols.

• Essential technologies of web services are:– Core Internet Technologies:

• Network-based standards such as Internet Protocol (IP), the Domain Name System (DNS), and the HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP)

– Extensible Markup Language (XML)• Provides a standardized set of markup rules for creating structured documents

• XML documents are defined and described using XML schemas to enforce document structure and rules

– Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP) • SOAP is a XML-based protocol for exchanging information (XML messages) in a decentralized

environment

– Web Services Description Language (WSDL)• A standard XML-based format to define how to access a service, and what operations the service

performs

– Universal Description, Discovery and Integration (UDDI)• Provides a central directory mechanism for looking up web services




Massachusetts CJIS XML Architecture: Service Oriented Architecture in Massachusetts Cont.

• Web Services Advantages: Advantages of using web services include (but are not limited to):– Facilitates the implementation of a SOA– Provides peer-to-peer communication as opposed to strictly client and

server communication– Enables interoperability between heterogeneous systems and or

platforms– Allows straightforward communication at various computing levels:

• Local system-to-system• Enterprise system-to-system• Systems and applications

– Web browsers applications– Hand held applications– Mobile data terminal applications

– Provides a framework for allowing CHSB to enable XML-based data exchanges with legacy (CJIS mainframe) systems




• Initially created the “Mass. Justice XML” data dictionary, based on GJXDM 2.0

• Implemented a pilot SOA to provide “XML-ized” CJIS content to vendors of mobile systems (via Web Services)

– CHSB was able to serve as a more flexible provider of pure CJIS content

– Vendors were quickly able to provide value-added services using the SOA

– Vendors competed on the basis of their value-added service using content from CJIS, and users ultimately received better services

• Birth of CJIS-XML– The success of the pilot SOA led to an increased demand to provide more CJIS

content via Web Services and XML

– EOPS/CHSB developed a formal business and technical strategy to implement the beginnings of a production SOA using XML, GJXDM 3.0, Web Services, and SOAP

– The release of GJXDM 3.0 required updates to portions of the “Mass. Justice XML” data dictionary

Massachusetts CJIS XML Architecture: Massachusetts Movements Towards GJXDM and SOA using Web Services, SOAP, and XML




Massachusetts CJIS XML Architecture: Overall Description and Architecture

• CJIS-XML is the implementation of a basic SOA to exchange CJIS data as GJXDM-based XML documents via Web Services

• Key goals of the CJIS-XML architecture– Simple to use and develop against

– Standardized and open methods for development, implementation, and integration

– Expandable to integrate new functionality (CJIS transactions or data exchanges)

– Conform to GJXDM 3.0

– No Web Services bloat or API complexity

– Synchronous and asynchronous methods of access

– Available to a diverse range of technology platforms (Java, .Net, C++, etc.)

• CJIS-XML architecture today– Single Web Service acts as the only public interface

– Approximately 35 CJIS transactions are available, along with a handful of agency-to-agency CJIS data exchanges (CHSB, Parole, DOC)

– Individual GJXDM-based schemas for each implemented transaction or exchange

– Standardized method for adding new “modules” (currently written in Java) to accommodate additional CJIS functionality

– Both query and update transactions have the same semantic interface




Massachusetts CJIS XML Architecture: Core Characteristics

CHSB Web App& Web Service

Runtime Environment(CJIS-XML)

ServiceRequestors

ServiceProviders

InformationProducers

CJIS Workstation Police Cruiser Police Handheld SOAP ServerSOAP Client

CJIS Mainframe

CJISProcessingModule (1)



“N” Number ofModules

CJIS RelationalDatbases

External CJISDatabases or

Systems

CJIS-XML Service Handler

HTTP(S) orXML SOAP

over HTTP(S)

XML

Native DataAccess

• Centralized Web Service (WS) that manages requests and responses within the SOA

• CJIS-XML WS accepts and returns well-formed XML request and response documents

• The CJIS-XML Service Handler layer interprets requests and passes them to individual processing modules to perform transaction-specific business logic

• New processing modules can be readily integrated into CJIS-XML to leverage the underlying SOAP/XML infrastructure and delivery framework




Massachusetts CJIS XML Architecture: Input Transaction Processing

• All CJIS-XML transaction requests invoke the CJIS-XML WS

• Transaction names and parameters are embedded in the XML request/response document

• CJIS-XML loads/executes the appropriate processing module for the transaction

• Each type of CJIS transaction has its own processing module

Web ServicesRuntime

Environment

CJIS-XMLWeb Service


TransactionProcessingModule (1)


TransactionProcessing

Module (N...)

CJIS-XMLTransaction Requests

(1...N)

CJIS-XML Request Process




Massachusetts CJIS XML Architecture: Output Transaction Processing

• Each processing module generates a well-formed XML response

• Requestors (web service clients) then retrieve (or receive) responses from the CJIS-XML WS

CJIS-XML Response Process

Web ServicesRuntime

Environment




TransactionProcessing

Module (N...)

CJIS-XMLTransaction Requests

(1...N)

CJIS-XMLWeb Service




Massachusetts CJIS XML Architecture: XML Response Transaction Description

• Response transaction has header and body element

• Header contains meta data about the transaction

• Header information is the same for all transactions

• Body contains the data that is exchanged

• Body is different for each transaction




Massachusetts CJIS XML Architecture: Example of the CJIS-XML Request and Response Process (Asynchronous)

• CJIS-XML requests and responses are made using well-formed XML via SOAP over HTTP

• In the asynchronous request/response model:

– The CJIS-XML Web Service receives requests from clients

– CJIS-XML clients must retrieve responses to their own requests

• A complete transaction is made up of multiple steps:

– Query request– Return message– Retrieval request– Query Response

Query Request

Return

Query Response

RetrieveClient CJIS-XML

Web Service




Massachusetts CJIS XML Implementation: How Massachusetts CJIS XML is Being Used Today

• Integration with Massachusetts CJIS web-based applications– Web apps readily obtain GJXDM-based CJIS information (via web

services) for display in record check, firearms, booking, inmate processing, and motor vehicle applications

• Utilized by “Mobile Data Vendors” who provide vehicle-based and/or PDA CJIS applications to state and local law enforcement agencies

• Agency-to-agency CJIS data exchanges– MA CHSB and MA Parole exchange Parolee and Victims data

– MA CHSB and MA DOC exchange Offender release data




Massachusetts CJIS XML Implementation: CJIS XML and GJXDM Benefits Observed

• Timely and efficient CJIS information sharing; enhanced public safety– Information that was “always there” now more effectively available– Real world results: crimes solved, offenders located, etc.

• Use of open- and standards-based technologies easily accommodated a diverse technology environment and range of agencies/users

• A common set of standards and single point of entry/access helps to maintain CJIS data integrity and controlled access to CJIS data

• OJP GJXDM and “Global” concepts promote standardized inter- and intra-agency data exchanges and a more easily managed effort to share data

• A single, well-specified API and set of XML schemas fostered an easy and rapid development cycle by programmers using the environment

• Open standards and/or API stimulates competition among participating vendors to help the State gain the best value for services and products




Massachusetts CJIS XML Implementation: CJIS XML Demonstration

• Demonstration




Lessons Learned

• Lessons learned:– Keep things simple and agile

– Have an active governance structure and change management process in place

– Understand how to effectively navigate the GJXDM and create schema subsets

– Have a mechanism to handle schema and data dictionary updates in a graceful manner

– A widespread understanding of metadata (and how to use it) is still being absorbed by vendors, agencies, and developers using XML

– XML is sometimes advertised as an easy and flexible way to integrate systems, but in real life it seemed a bit more challenging than all the ad’s and bullet points suggest!




Massachusetts Integrated Criminal Justice System (ICJIS)

• Governor’s Executive Order 465

• ICJ Planning Council – Membership

– Subcommittee

– Project Management Office ICJIS Strategic Implementation Plan

• ICJIS Strategic Implementation Plan Project




Question and Answer Session

• Your questions, comments, and feedback are greatly appreciated

• Thank you for attending!

James F Slater III

MA EOPS

[email protected]

Curt Wood

MA CHSB

[email protected]

Barry J. LaCroix

MA CHSB

[email protected]

Amit Banerji

xFact, Inc.

978.821.3214

[email protected]

Massachusetts CJIS-XML: A GJXDM Implementation Case Study

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