TEAM Zarate Tarrani Notes From the Field

Harshal Laddha has once again shared some interesting links. These are to an open-source project dedicated to providing development tools for processing biological data. The project encompasses BioPerl, BioPython, BioXML, BioCORBA and BioDAS. The last is distributed annotation system (DAS). DAS is a client-server system in which a single client integrates information from multiple servers. It allows a single machine to gather up genome annotation information from multiple distant web sites, collate the information, and display it to the user in a single view.

If you are in the bio technologies industry and these links are of interest, also check out the O'Reilly Bioinformatics Technology Conference and the Bioinformatics Open Source Conference pages.

My interests are not in specific development tools as much as in the almost limitless potential of XML. One personal project that Linda and I have been discussing is developing IT service and applications delivery DTDs. We initiated a disucssion of DTDs that has stalled. Although there appears to be little interest in discussing this topic, I'm convinced that such DTDs have possibilities. Consider the value of DTDs for the following:

• Issue management (problems, enhancements, change control)
• System configuration management
• Software configuration management
• Test summary reports (product acceptance/functional qualification, regression)
• Release management
• Integration of production and project issues
• Operations logs
• Status Reports (project progress, problem management, change management, weekly operations)

Some of the resources we've been using as primary research for this include: O'Reilly's XML page, XML Times and Perfect XML. Of course we also closely follow the W3C XML page.

Althought not directly related to XML, I frequently refer to Developing Quality Systems: A Methodology Using Structured Techniques as a sourcebook of ideas for the data structures that would feed the applications and service delivery DTDs. This out-of-print book is worth tracking down because, in addition to providing metrics and dataflow diagrams for a quality and project management system, it provides a data dictionary. Another book that is related to XML to which I frequently refer is Metadata Solutions: Using Metamodels, Repositories, XML, and Enterprise Portals to Generate Information on Demand.

Final note for the day: If you're interested in CMMI then the February issue of CrossTalk is essential reading. The entire issue is dedicated to capability maturity model integration and the articles are outstanding.

I'm off to enjoy what's left of the Tustin, California sunshine. (Linda, by the way, is in Hawaii on vacation all week.)