XML interoperability consortium OASIS Tuesday said it has formed a new technical committee
charged with creating an international standard for the tracking of controlled materials as they move through trading processes.
The OASIS Controlled Trade Markup Language (CTML) Technical Committee will allow governments, businesses and other organizations to
identify trade applications, cases, licenses, and delivery verification certificates — all documents that need to be exchanged
securely over the Internet.
Like many of the technical committees OASIS creates, the CTML group is needed to address a niche that has yet to be addressed in
detail, according to CTML chair Todd Harbour.
“Currently, there is no single, unified, and open means to manage the international transfer of sensitive and strategic goods in a
structured and meaningful way,” said Harbour. “CTML will enable both government and industry to share data more efficiently so that
companies can remain competitive and governments can protect truly sensitive goods.”
Boston’s OASIS said governments and suppliers around the world are participating in CTML development to make it happen.
John Borras, assistant director of technology policy for the United Kingdom’s Office of the e-Envoy, said his country’s government
was fully supportive of the CTML committee.
“The more we can standardize the vocabulary in this area, the better it will be for the exchange of information between governments
and industry,” Borras said.
CTML will invoke features of other XML business vocabularies and provide an interface to supporting specifications. The CTML
committee will align its work with other OASIS libraries and frameworks, such as ebXML, Universal Business Language (UBL), Business
Transactions Protocol (BTP), and Customer Information Quality (CIQ).
