Preface and Table of Contents
New Zealand
Federated Enterprise Architecture Framework
Reference Models
(NZFEAF RM)
Version 0.9
August 2009
State Services Commission
Te Kōmihana O Ngā Tari Kāwanatanga
CROWN COPYRIGHT ©
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Preface
This document describes the first release (Version 0.9) of the New Zealand Federated Enterprise Architecture Framework Reference Models (NZFEAF Reference Models). They are adapted from two established and proven frameworks: the Australia Government Architecture Reference Models; 1 and the Federal Enterprise Architecture Framework (FEAF) developed by the United States Government.2
The scope of the NZFEAF is the same as e-Government Interoperability Framework (e-GIF), so the Reference Models should be applied when agencies share information, technology and/or business processes.3 Being whole of government, agency neutral, and user-centric in nature, the Reference Models provide a solid basis for interagency communication and collaboration.
The intent of the NZFEAF Reference Models is to assist in the delivery of more consistent and cohesive services to citizens and support cost-effective delivery of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) services by government, providing a framework that:
-
provides a common language for agencies involved in the delivery of cross-agency services;
-
supports the identification of duplicate, re-usable and sharable services; and
-
provides a basis for the objective review of ICT investment by government.
Agencies are invited to apply the Reference Models. Agencies are not required to incorporate the Reference Models into their existing Architectures. However, for those that do not already have an Architecture, or have one that is under review, it is strongly advised that they incorporate the Reference Models. Agencies preparing Stage I and Stage II business cases are strongly advised to utilise the terms and concepts in the Reference Models, particularly those from the Business Reference Model, Service Reference Model and Technology Reference Model.
Version 0.9 has been released ahead of entry into the e-GIF standards process to satisfy agency demand, meet expectations set in 2008, and seek feedback from agencies; and because the e-GIF governance process has been suspended.4 Nevertheless, this version has been reviewed or applied by a number of agencies during Enterprise Architecture initiatives in the last two years.
1.1 Performance Reference Model (PRM)
1.2 Business Reference Model (BRM)
1.3 Service Reference Model (SRM)
1.4 Data
Reference
Model (DRM)
1.5 Technical Reference Model (TRM)
3.1
Functions for New Zealanders Functional Area
3.2
Support Functions Functional Area
3.3 Management of Government Resources Business Area
3.4 Subjects of New Zealand Government
3.12 Examples of Sub-function Relationships
4.2
Process
Automation Services Domain
4.3
Business
Management Services Domain
4.4
Digital Asset Services Domain
4.5
Business Analytical Services Domain
4.6 Back Office Services Domain
5 Data Reference Model Sharing Framework
6.1 Service Access and Delivery
6.2 Service Platform and Infrastructure
1 The Australian Government Architecture Reference Models are also based on FEAF.
2 This framework is being used in a number of other countries and some state governments in Australia.
3 http://www.e.govt.nz/standards/fea
4 The recent transfer of Government Technology Services from the State Services Commission to the Department of Internal Affairs, has resulted in a suspension of the e-GIF standards governance, pending a review of wider whole of government ICT governance.
5 Communities of Interest are collaborative groups of users who require a shared vocabulary to exchange information in pursuit of common goals, interests and business objectives.
6 ‘The term ‘Rosetta Stone’ has become idiomatic as something that is a critical key to a process of decryption or translation of a difficult problem .’ (http://www.wikipedia.org/ )
7 The NZGLS online site is at http://www.e.govt.nz/standards/nzgls
8 http://www.e.govt.nz/standards/nzgls/thesauri
9 Based on the common themes in the Australian Government Architecture Business Reference Model.
10 From a Zackman Framework perspective, Parties correspond to ‘Who’; ‘Resources corresponds to ‘What’ and the other categories are sub-classes of ‘Why’.
11 Are they seeking an entitlement, meeting an obligation, wishing to put on an event, or suffering from an adverse event.
12 http://www.msd.govt.nz/about-msd-and-our-work/about-msd/index.html
13 Implied.
14 Implied.
15 Implied.
16 Implied.
17 Implied.
18 Implied.
19 http://www.ird.govt.nz/aboutir/reports/soi/soi-2008-2011/soi-2008-part1/2008-part1-nature-and-scope.html
20 http://www.ssc.govt.nz/display/home.asp
21 Implied.
22 Implied.
23 In the New Zealand Government, the term ‘Corporate Services’ is often used, rather than ‘Back Office Services’ which often refers to non-client-facing processing of client transactions the New Zealand Government context.
24 Communities of Interest (COI) are collaborative groups of users who require a shared vocabulary to exchange information in pursuit of common goals, interests and business objectives.
25 The term ‘Rosetta Stone’ has become idiomatic as something that is a critical key to a process of decryption or translation of a difficult problem. (http://www.wikipedia.org/)
26 The word ‘schema’ in this context refers to any of a number of XML-based schema languages.
27 In this specification, the term ‘data’ is often used alone to collectively mean data, data artefacts (e.g. documents, XML schemas, etc.) and data assets. At times, the term ‘data artefact’ and/or ‘data asset’ may be used separately, or together with ‘data’, as appropriate for the intended meaning. The reader should consider the context of each reference.
28 The NZGLS Metadata Standard is based on the Dublin Core Data Element Set and the Australian Locator Service. It is a set of 19 descriptive elements which government departments and agencies can use to improve the visibility and accessibility of their services and information over the Internet.
29 Digital Rights Management is also abbreviated DRM. Hence, the reader should be aware of context when this abbreviation is encountered.
30 Released on the 27th August 2009.
31 From Adaptive Information, by Jeffery T. Pollock and Ralph Hodgson, John Wiley and Sons, Inc., ISBN 0-471-48854-2, 2004. p. 6.
32 It should be noted that the term ‘relationship’ is used in two ways here. The concept named ‘Relationship’ participates in relationships with other concepts in the abstract model, and also defines the relationship between entities when it is applied to a specific scenario.
33 It should be noted that the term ‘attribute’ is used here in a different way than for the concept named ‘Attribute’. Here, an ‘attribute’ is used to describe characteristics of each of the concepts in the abstract model.
34 The ‘Identifier’ attribute is described at an abstract level in order to be consistent with the abstract nature of the reference model. Therefore, there are no references to aspects such as identifier uniqueness, representation format or similar. Implementations based on the DRM will introduce such aspects as needed according to their requirements.
35 As shown in the abstract model, a Digital Data Resource may be one of these three specific types of data resources. The same general idea applies to the entries for the ‘Semi-Structured Data Resource’ and ‘Data Object’ concepts above.
36 A full specification can be found at http://www.e.govt.nz/standards/nzgls/standard/element-set-21/chapter7.html. Also, see http://www.e.govt.nz/standards/nzgls/standard/element-set-21/chapter8.html and http://www.e.govt.nz/archive/standards/nzgls/standard/usage-guide-2-1/chapter25.html, for sample encoding schemes.
37 As it is taken from an existing operational system, the terminology used in the description may differ from that described in the DRM abstract model but it is offered to demonstrate the various ways that an agency uses a variety of logical data models to characterise the data description/sharing constructs.
38 A data subject area is comprised of one or more information classes.
39 In this example, a specific type of event is depicted (a fire).
40 The term ‘structure’ is used here in the formal Computer Science sense of a data structure. Examples are networks, trees and hierarchies. The choice of a specific data structure impacts on the type of relationships that can be represented.
41 Because a Taxonomy is represented as a Structured Data Resource and a Data Asset provides management context for a Digital Data Resource, it follows that a Taxonomy may be stored and managed within a Data Asset.
42 It should be noted that the term ‘relationship’ is used in two ways here. The concept named ‘Relationship’ participates in relationships with other concepts in the abstract model and also defines the relationship between topics when it is applied to a specific scenario.
43 Paragraph 14, page 3, “Policy Framework for Government Held Information: Criteria for Stewardship” – paper to Cabinet Strategy Subcommittee on Expenditure Control and Government Administration
44 Paragraph 19, page 4, “Policy Framework for Government Held Information: Criteria for Stewardship” – paper to Cabinet Strategy Subcommittee on Expenditure Control and Government Administration
45 The ‘Identifier’ attribute is described at an abstract level in order to be consistent with the abstract nature of the reference model. Therefore, there are no references to aspects such as identifier uniqueness, representation format or similar. Implementations based on the DRM will introduce such aspects as needed according to their requirements.
46 In a Taxonomy, given any topic, a second topic is a parent topic if it is higher in the hierarchy or a child topic if it is directly lower in the hierarchy.
47 The term ‘data asset’ is synonymous with ‘data source’. It is described within the Data Context section.
48 The ‘Identifier’ attribute is described at an abstract level in order to be consistent with the abstract nature of the reference model. Therefore, there are no references to aspects such as identifier uniqueness, representation format or similar. Implementations based on the DRM will introduce such aspects as needed according to their requirements.
49 For a Query Point, an identifier represents the electronic address at which the Query Point may be accessed.
50 It should be noted that the term ‘relationship’ is used in two ways here. The concept named ‘Relationship’ participates in relationships with other concepts in the abstract model and also defines the relationship between entities when it is applied to a specific scenario.
51 It should be noted that the term ‘attribute’ is used here in a different way than for the concept named ‘Attribute’. Here, an ‘attribute’ is used to describe characteristics of each of the concepts in the abstract model.
52 The ‘Identifier’ attribute is described at an abstract level in order to be consistent with the abstract nature of the reference model. Therefore, there are no references to aspects such as identifier uniqueness, representation format or similar. Implementations based on the DRM will introduce such aspects as needed according to their requirements.
53 As shown in the abstract model, a Digital Data Resource may be one of these three specific types of data resources. The same general idea applies to the entries for the ‘Semi-Structured Data Resource’ and ‘Data Object’ concepts above.
54 Because a Taxonomy is represented as a Structured Data Resource and a Data Asset provides management context for a Digital Data Resource, it follows that a Taxonomy may be stored and managed within a Data Asset.
55 It should be noted that the term ‘relationship’ is used in two ways here. The concept named ‘Relationship’ participates in relationships with other concepts in the abstract model and also defines the relationship between topics when it is applied to a specific scenario.
56 Paragraph 14, page 3, “Policy Framework for Government Held Information: Criteria for Stewardship” – paper to Cabinet Strategy Subcommittee on Expenditure Control and Government Administration
57 The ‘Identifier’ attribute is described at an abstract level in order to be consistent with the abstract nature of the reference model. Therefore, there are no references to aspects such as identifier uniqueness, representation format or similar. Implementations based on the DRM will introduce such aspects as needed according to their requirements.
58 The ‘Identifier’ attribute is described at an abstract level in order to be consistent with the abstract nature of the reference model. Therefore, there are no references to aspects such as identifier uniqueness, representation format or similar. Implementations based on the DRM will introduce such aspects as needed according to their requirements.
59 For a Query Point, an identifier represents the electronic address at which the Query Point may be accessed.
60 Paragraph 14, page 3, “Policy Framework for Government Held Information: Criteria for Stewardship” – paper to Cabinet Strategy Subcommittee on Expenditure Control and Government Administration
