Effort Name:  HTS Service Web Services Demo
Acronym:  HTSWS
Point of Contact:  Martin Smith
E-mail Address:  msmith@usitc.gov
Telephone:  202-205-3258
URL:  http://205.197.120.95/usitc/
Submitter Name:  Martin Smith
Submitter Organization:  USITC
Submitter E-mail:  msmith@usitc.gov
Submit Date:  07-Mar-02

Description of Effort:

Demonstrate a live Web Services application.  Web Services is an "RPC" or object serialization technology based on XML, simple object access protocol (SOAP) , Web Services description language (WSDL) and universal description, discovery and integration (UDDI) standards.

We think Web Services is a key enabling technology for B2B (and G2B) Web applications, as well as legacy app integration.  We're trying to demonstrate the potential of Web Services to the Federal IT community, and to provide a roadmap for how an initial Web Service application can be identified and fielded.

Here's what we did--

Start from existing Web page that provides browser lookup of Harmonized Tariff System (HTS) data (taxes applied to products imported into the United States.)  This app is at http://dataweb.usitc.gov/scripts/tariff2002.asp.

Take same SQL query used above, wrap it in a Java class that also converts resultset to XML.  "Throwaway" XML schema  for tariff data invested for this project, as no schema has been previously established as far as we can tell.  Deployed java class to Linux box running Tomcat J2EE app server, with SOAP server included.  Used Sun WSDK to generate WSDL file that invokes java class.

Status as of 6/11/2002: Service works from localhost with Web Services client that does not depend on WSDL file for knowledge of the service; there's a bug in the WSDL file that prevents it from working with the Generic SOAP client at http://soapclient.com

However, the wsdl file can be viewed at http://205.197.120.95/usitc/HTS_Service.wsdl (if your client displays
XML--otherwise you must "View source".)

Next steps:
(1) fix the bug (target 6/17/2002)
(2) demo HTS_Service at XML Working Group meeting on 6/19/2002
(3) demo interoperation with business SOAP client app
(4) publish HTS schema to XML.gov registry
(5) publish HTS Service to public UDDI registry
(6) collect operating data and summarize lessons learned

Participants:

Sponsor:  US Federal CIO Council, Architecture & Infrastructure Committee

USITC: hosting the Web Service application (including the J2EE/SOAP application server and HTS database backend)

OpenHarbor.com: Business user of the HTS data, who is developing a SOAP client application to "consume" XML messages generated by the HTS Service.

Aquarius Solutions: contract J2EE & Web Services expertise

People to be Engaged:  

E-Government architects, together with public-sector and private sector people with interest in international
trade transactions (e.g., Customs services, customs brokers, major commercial importers.)

How to Become Engaged:

Provide input on business value of HTS data provided via Web Service.  Develop and test SOAP client systems to "consume" HTS Service data to test interoperability and performance.  Provide knowledge of efforts to standardize  tariff and customs
treatment data definitions (i.e., schema.)

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