Web services open the door to FMCSA safety data

Jeff Hall – FMCSA IT Project ManagerTraffic Records ForumJuly 28, 2004

FMCSA web services 2

Agenda

FMCSA Goal Web service description FMCSA web services XML standardization Lessons learned Summary

FMCSA web services 3

FMCSA Data Exchange Goal

Provide data to customers In standardized format Using standardized method Without human intervention Assuring privacy of personal data

FMCSA web services 4

What is a Web Service?

Self-contained business functions that operate over a network (e.g. Internet)

Standards-based & interoperable between any two systems/platforms

Two-way communication Application-to-application interaction

without human intervention Cheap & flexible implementation FMCSA standard data exchange

method

FMCSA web services 5

What is XML?

W3C specification (International standard) Tagged document (like HTML) Uses dynamic tags (unlike HTML) Is human readable & flexible Is interoperable between any two

systems/environments Cheap & flexible implementation FMCSA standard data exchange format

FMCSA web services 6

FMCSA Web Service Standards

SOAP Simple Object Access Protocol Encodes an HTTP header and an XML

file so they can be passed between two programs on different computers and know how to respond

WSDL Web Services Definition Language XML-based language used to describe

services offered & provide a way to access those services electronically

FMCSA web services 7

Analogy – Sending a Document

Web service = Federal Express WSDL = Next day delivery and

FedEx contact information SOAP = Box and shipping label XML = Contents/Document

FMCSA web services 8

FMCSA Web Services

Inspection Selection System database refreshAutomatically detect status & perform

refresh Compliance Review upload

Move data up, integrate into central Oracle DB, & return confirmation or error report

Query Central data retrieval (pending) SAFER input & output

QCMX CarrierRegistration

CarrierDetails

US CDL ViolationDetails

CarrierSummary

PastInspections

L&I

CarrierRegistration

MX CDL

CarrierOOSO

MXLIFIS

MXSCT

TML

Query CentralApplication

FMCSAInternal

Databases

StateCDLIS

Query CentralData Flow

InternetInternet

Security

CVIEW

& ITDS

XML

WebService

HTTPXML

FMCSA Web services

Public & Industry State

ID &Registration

License & Insurance

InspectionCrash

VPNEncryption

Privacy RestrictedData

UnrestrictedData

FMCSA web services 12

SAFER

Safety And Fitness Electronic Records Communication nexus for State CVIEW

(Commercial Vehicle Information Exchange Window) systems

Includes FMCSA & State past inspection database FMCSA carrier snapshot database

FMCSA web services 13

Purpose for SAFER Web Services

Provide data not found in the local CVIEW system in real time

Upload data in real time from local CVIEW system

FMCSA web services 14

SAFER Web Services

Inspection input (beta) Inspection summary output (soon) IFTA input / output (planned) IRP input / output (planned) IRP registration input / output (beta) Fleet input / output (planned) Carrier e-screening input (planned) Vehicle transponder input / output (planned) MCMIS safety & census update (beta) License & insurance output (soon)

FMCSA web services 15

SAFER Web Service Contacts

Jingfei Wu wu@volpe.dot.gov (617) 494-3796

Andrew Wilson andrew.wilson@volpe.dot.gov (617) 374-2353

FMCSA web services 16

XML Standardization Project

Standardize FMCSA XML Vocabulary Schemas

Includes review of existing industry & government standards

All data types included in project Crash Inspection ID Licensing & insurance

FMCSA web services 17

Lessons Learned

XML & web services are relatively new & may require training

Party generating XML should also use it We need standardized

XML vocabularies XML schemas & Data dictionaries

XML/web services are cheap & flexible relative to EDI

Need standard location where FMCSA Web Services information could be accessed, including downloadable WSDL files & documentation, & a UDDI directory of Web Services

FMCSA web services 18

Summary

XML is a valuable data format for exchanging data between disparate systems

Web Services are the best method for automating the movement of data between applications over the Internet

FMCSA has standardized on both

FMCSA web services 19

References

XML. The eXtensible Markup Language (XML) Version 1.0 (Second Edition) W3C Recommendation is published by the World Wide Web Consortium at http://www.w3.org/TR/2000/REC-xml-20001006.

SOAP. The Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP) 1.2 W3C Recommendation is published by the World Wide Web Consortium at http://www.w3.org/TR/2003/REC-soap12-part1-20030624/.

WSDL. The Web Services Definition Language (WSDL) 1.1 W3C Recommendation is published by the World Wide Web Consortium at http://www.w3.org/TR/2001/NOTE-wsdl-20010315.

Web Services. The Web Services Architecture is published by the World Wide Web Consortium at http://www.w3.org/TR/2004/NOTE-ws-arch-20040211/.

FMCSA web services 20

Questions?

“… XML and Web Services are becoming the language of business and that deciding not to invest and go in that direction would be similar to deciding not to invest in having a telephone number or even a web site for your business.”

Neil CharneyDirector, Platform Strategy Group, MicrosoftJune, 2003