Major public and private sector organizations depend on X.Systems to meet their XML authoring evolution and content management challenges. Here are just a few of them. The Bureau of National Affairs, Inc. U. S. Congressional Research Service Authoring Army National Ground Intelligence Center (NGIC) Aerospace firms including Pratt & Whitney, Boeing, Sikorsky U. S. OMB XML-based U. S. Budget System State of Oklahoma Admininstrative Code Management System World Book Electronic Encyclopedia System The Florida Senate Information System project summary: The Bureau of National Affairs (BNA) Description:In a relationship begun in 1993, X.Systems developed a pioneering SGML/XML-based editorial and content management approach for this leading publisher of high-quality information products. During the project, XSI worked with editorial, technical and management staff at BNA to craft an editorial environment capable of supporting the firm’s nearly 800 profssional authors, creating over 200 information products on schedules from monthly reference updates to daily news publications with deadlines as tight as any major newspaper. The majority of this extensive output array is produced and delivered in paper, CD and multiple electronic deliverables including the World Wide Web, Lotus Notes Newsstand, Lexis/Nexis, Westlaw, etc. The BNA system, named "Publishing System 2000 (PS2000)", has been recognized worldwide as one of the most successful major electronic publishing projects ever attempted. PS2000's focus on the needs of the professional author was the first in any major automation effort and has paid significant dividends. XSI's role has spanned this pioneering effort from initial planning in the early 90s to development of approaches and software tools to support and enhancement, forming a long-term partnership with BNA in keeping the system abreast of evolving needs. url: http://www.bna.com client: The Bureau of National Affairs, Inc       project summary: Congressional Research Service Authoring and Publishing Analysis Description:CRS provides critical research and information products to Congress in support of legislative and investigatory issues. With over 400 research analysts, CRS works under intense time, performance and accuracy requirements. The service currently uses a series of legacy systems and tools to support its authoring, collaboration and information delivery activities, clearly in need of evolution if its performance is to keep pace with growing congressional demands and the increasing reliance on electronic delivery. In a competitive procurement, XSI was chosen to provide a comprehesnsive analysis of current CRS systems, procedures and tools, leading to an evolution plan and schedule the service can use to bring its operation to optimum state. The project, begun in late 2004, required in-depth interviews with every CRS group, from research analysts to support groups to technology organizations. A key factor in the effort is the high-performance nature of the authoring population and the need to insure that contemplated technological changes do not diminish this productivity or make the analysts' tasks more difficult or complex. The final recommendations were delivered in early 2005 and, after presentation to senior management, were accepted for implementation. In the second phase of the project, begun in April, 2005, XSI will provide technical and operational support to the CRS project organization charged with designing and implementing recommended enhancements. url: http://www.loc.gov/crsinfo/ client: The Congressional Research Service (CRS)       project summary: National Ground Intelligence Center (NGIC) Description: XSI is the primary authoring and content management support contractor for this key component of the Defense Intelligence community. NGIC provides rapid turnaround analysis and intelligence to Army battlefield units, relying on a force of several hundred expert subject matter experts working under extreme performance and accuracy demands. XSI supports a hybrid authoring environment made up of word processing input with transformation to XML, as well as a direct XML authoring and revision capability based on Arbortext's Epic software tools. The relationship also includes support and maintenance of XML schemas mandated by DIA as well as authoring templates for MS Word and transformation maps to convert this input to XML and integration of the environment with the internally-developed content management system used by NGIC to control content and production flow. The NGIC digital production environment is maintained as a fully installable software environment, supported by XSI with full source code and version control, automatic installation support and regular releases via a collaborative web site. XSI also supports a wide range of content management and delivery resources, including XSL/FO composition and XSLT transformation resources for electronic content delivery. In addition to the NGIC, XSI provides similar support for other intelligence organizations, including the Naval Oceanographic Center and Department of State, that have elected to adopt the NGIC ICML architecture and tools. url: http://www.fas.org/irp/agency/inscom/ngic/ client: Army National Ground Intelligence Center    BOEING   project summary: Aerospace Firms; Pratt & Whitney Canada, Boeing Space & Defense, Sikorksy Aviation ...and others like them Description:  Each of these major firms faced authoring and content challenges, the solutions to which had eluded them. Each one, beginning with PWC, contacted XSI to develop a solution that not only met their technical needs but also maintained editorial productivity in high-stress environments. In addition to these three, XSI has performed similar functions for other aerospace firms including United Defense, Northrop Grumman, Kidde Aerospace as well as firms in other industries such as Ford, Bentley Systems and Lucent. In each case, the needs of the professional author were given equal weight to the technical aspects of the challenges. For Pratt & Whitney Canada, the initial challenge was the firm's need to create multiple audience variants for a single jet engine family, up to 18 from a single manual, without fragmenting the content into a blizzard of unmanagable pieces. PWC asked XSI to solve the problem. Within 2 weeks, an XSI team had developed a workable approach that was then represented in software within 30 days. The concept, known as "Effectivity" was unique in the SGML industry and is still used extensively in multiple industries, many firms using XSI's resulting tool with their Arbortext editorial software. Boeing Helicopter contacted XSI to help it meet a need to author and maintain links in complex technical data. As there was no tool available for this task, Boeing tasked XSI to develop one, combining ease of use, configurability, non-invasive relationship with the author and tight control on links once authored. This tool was installed at Boeing facilities in 1998 and is still in use there and at many organizations in numerous industries and government organizations. XSI took the role, needs and limitations of the authors fully into account in designing this tool, working closely with client staff and responding to active input by editorial managers during the design phase. Sikorsky Aviation contacted XSI in 1998 to meet challenge of authoring and compliance with AECMA Simplified English, the complex vocabulary specification mandated by many aircraft buyers. S/E, as it is often called, can be difficult and burdensome for authors to generate and check. Sikorsky tasked XSI with creation of a tool that would satisfy the requirement for accuracy and compliance while supporting author productivity and accuracy. The resulting tool, Language Manager, was installed in 2000 as an add-in to Sikorsky's Arbortext SGML authoring system. Language Manager makes the use of controlled language a fluid part of the authoring process, keeping the author fully in control and removing the most onerous parts of the process. clients: PWC, Boeing Space and Defense, Sikorksy Aviation project summary: Executive Office of the President/OMB: Description: X.Systems was selected by OMB to design and implement an XML-based editorial and production system for the Citizen’s Guide to the United States Federal Budget and the budget submission volume. In addition, XSI was tasked to perform an analysis of authoring and data collection for the budget appendix, and to develop a comprehensive plan to bring this process into a fully XML environment. These critical publications are produced under tight deadlines, using a variety of legacy software and manual processes. Their evolution to a fully XML baseline requires significant technological and cultural changes by OMB and the agency staffs responsible for development of budget data. url: http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/budget/fy2002/guide.html client: U. S. Office of Management and Budget project summary: Oklahoma Administration Code System Description: X.Systems was selected by the State of Oklahoma to develop a fully automated, XML-based system for the collection, management and publication of administrative rules for 150 state agencies, using a variety of word processors to create and revise rule language. The system was based on Arbortext XML tagging, editorial and publishing software, and XSI’s GEM content management and other editorial tools. The project involved all phases of the rule-making and management process, supporting publication of semi-monthly Registers from agency filings, yearly cumulative supplements and periodic full republication of the 20-volume Administrative Code. In addition to the mandated paper publications, the system also makes all rules available on the Internet. Production within the system is highly automated replacing laborious and error prone manual procedures with “point and click” operations in a controlled work environment. The Oklahoma system architecture is based on work earlier provided to the Secretary of State for Texas, supporting similar Admininstrative Code and Register publishing requirements. XSI provides ongoing support and enhancement support for both of these relationships. As part of its active involvment in the advance of automation in the rule making and publication sector, XSI is a founding participant in the Intergovernmental Regulation Work Group (IRWG), made up of representatives from federal rule making agencies (EPA, National Archives and Records Office of the Federal Register, etc.,) and their state counterparts through the National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS). url: http://www.oar.state.ok.us/oar/codedoc02.nsf client: Secretary of State, Oklahoma project summary: World Book Publishing Description: X.Systems was selected by the team of IBM and World Book to develop and support a fully XML-based authoring and content management system for the World Book worldwide electronic encyclopedia products, supporting American and English standard versions. XSI based the system on Arbortext XML editorial tools and Staffware workflow software as well as XSI’s own GEM editorial and content management tools. The system supports complex editorial workflow, authoring and management of complex multilevel references and sourcing in compound documents and multimedia production, delivering the final information product to the World Book website and output processes for other media including paper and CD-ROM. After implementation in late 2000, XSI has remained involved, planning and implementing enhancements as part of its ongoing support role. url: http://www.worldbook.com client: World Book/IBM project summary: Florida Senate Information System Description: In 2001, XSI and the Office of Information Technology (OLITS) for the legislature, developed an approach to legislative automation that would address a series of problems that had plagued the body (and its counterparts in other states) for a number of years. Legislatures, facing unique challenges including frequent leadership direction changes, tight and unyielding schedules, complex interrelated information flows and the natural differences between House and Senate envisioned by our view of limited government, was facing a patchwork of legacy and "band-aid" technology falling increasingly behind the growing demands of e-government. XSI and the OLITS staff developed a content-based approach to legislative automation designed to ameliorate many of the challenges of the past while providing a path to substantially improved operations in the future, all with a flexible migration approach that would allow the legislature to move toward the target environment without jeopardizing its ability to meet current requirements. In early 2003, a team assembled by XSI and including Arbortext, Software AG and Infinity Software Development of Tallahassee received a contract by the Florida Senate to analyze the current legislative environment and design a new environment based on the content-based approach described above and approved by the elected and staff Senate leadership. During the next 9 months, the team conducted over 120 interviews with all parts of the Senate and Reviser staffs, developed a fully XML-based baseline for all Senate operations and designed a migration strategy including hardware, software, procedural, phasing and risk mitigation components. XSI was directly responsible for more than 40 interviews and all IT, migration and risk related portions of the plan as well as the XML data model development, publishing analysis and authoring migration approach. The plan was approved in late 2003 and was used by the Senate to issue a development contract for the first phase of the target environment. url: http://www.flsenate.gov/Welcome/index.cfm client: FLorida Senate and Office of Legislative Information Technology Services (OLITS) return to home page   about X.Systems - news/events - X.systems services - X.systems softwar - bookshelf - X.Systems positions