The NIEM High-Level Version Architecture (HLVA) was recently revised to make it more compatible with the latest NIEM version 3.0 series releases and other changes over the last several years. The new NIEM HLVA version 3.0 (10 April 2015) supersedes version 1.0 (published 31 July 2008). Significant changes can be summarized as follows:

Model Package Description (MPD) Specification version 3.0 was published in August 2014 as a result of NIEM release version 3.0. For the most part, the new MPD Specification 3.0.1 (10 April 2015) is the same as 3.0. In 3.0.1, we simply applied a few minor refinements to enhance clarity and understanding. Changes are as follows:

All feedback on NIEM version 3.1 beta1 is in! We are now entering the release candidate stage. This is the final stage before we officially release NIEM 3.1 into production.

What happens during the release candidate stage? A series of NIEM 3.1rcN versions (e.g. rc1, rc2, rc3) are generated, tested, reviewed, and tweaked until the product is a quality/conformant release. This stage progresses quickly because reviews are short (24-48 hours) and refinements are very minor.

Happy Birthday NIEM! It’s hard to believe the program has hit double digits.

In 2005, a few individuals from the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security had the idea to leverage the great work already in place for XML-based information exchange across the Justice community, the Global Justice XML Data model (GJXDM). Based on the foresight and determination of all involved, the NIEM Program has helped organizations save time and money by providing consistent, reusable data terms and definitions and repeatable processes. We’ve come a long way in the last 10 years—the Program is maturing and our user community keeps growing.

The NIEM model was designed to accommodate updates on a regular basis in order to adapt and evolve with user needs. The NIEM release cycle allows us to make these model updates on a predictable and sustainable schedule.

NIEM version 3.1 is an upcoming minor release that incorporates additional user needs identified since NIEM 3.0 was released in November 2013.

On January 26, the 9th annual Biometrics for Government and Law Enforcement Conference kicked off in Arlington, Virginia. Speakers and event attendees from multiple organizations, including the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Office of Biometric Identity Management (OBIM), DHS United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), Department of Defense (DOD), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and Border Patrol covered a range of biometrics and identity management topics.

Richard Spires, former Chief Information Officer of the Department of Homeland Security and NIEM Executive Steering Council Member, authored a recent article about NIEM. Some of our favorite quotes from the article include:

The NIEM Biometrics Domain (NBD) is proud to announce Kim Jackson, Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) National Protection and Programs Directorate (NPPD) Office of Biometric Identity Management (OBIM), as the new Chair of the NIEM Biometrics Domain. Ms. Jackson replaces former NBD Chair Diane Stephens, who served in an exemplary manner during the 2013-2014 operating period. Ms.

Every year, Santa Claus, his trusty team of reindeer, hardworking cadre of elves–and of course, Mrs. Claus–embark on a complex, multi-layered process of fulfilling children’s holiday wishes across the globe, gathering information on wish lists, acquiring materials to build toys, and deploying them to the right homes. We recently caught up with Santa and his team to discuss their information sharing challenges, the ISE principles they have been using, and their progress since last Christmas.

​​The U.S. Department of Treasury is accepting public comment on the Data Act between now and November 25, 2014. Please go to https://federalregister.gov/a/2014-22997 Federal Register Notice (FRN) "Public Input on the Establishment of Financial Data Standards (Data Exchange)" (79 FR 58045) to learn more and if interested, to provide input.​

NIEM hosted its second annual NIEM in November event on Tuesday November 4, 2014. NIEM in November was a half-day event filled with presentations, round tables, and discussions highlighting the community’s hard work and success. Hosted at National Defense University and live-streamed on NIEM.gov, the event had attendees and presenters from across the United States and beyond.

The newly rebranded Global Identity Summit (formerly the Biometrics Consortium Conference) kicked off on Monday, September 15, in Tampa Florida, with sessions slated to run through September 18. As in years past, a global contingency of speakers presented and attendees took part in discussions and demonstrations of the latest advancements in the field of biometrics and identity management.

​On September 23, NIEM hosted a Virtual Town Hall. More than 130 community members joined us to hear presentations from a Best of NIEM 2013 winner and updates from representatives of the Emergency Management Domain, as well as to participate in the question and answer session.

The Maritime Information Sharing Environment (MISE), a Best of NIEM 2013 Winner, is creating a set of pre-defined and NIEM-conformant maritime messages for the community to use. The initial set of messages includes:

On August 14, 2014, the Association for Enterprise Integration (AFEI) held the second webinar in a two-part series on DOD’s adoption of NIEM, titled “Alignment with Federal and DOD Information Sharing Architectures.” The webinar offered insights into how DOD adoption of NIEM supports the objectives of the federal Information Sharing Environment (ISE) and DOD information sharing strategies.

The Department of Defense Joint Services is using NIEM to facilitate data exchanges between U.S. military organizations and coalition partners. The U.S. Army's Project Manager Mission Command incorporated NIEM into version 4.3 of the Global Command and Control System-Army (GCCS-A), which combines Joint and coalition information onto one digital map. They used the system during a recent Joint-coalition exercise at the Joint Forces Training Centre in Poland.

Join us on September 23, 2014 from 2:00-3:00 p.m. EST for a NIEM Virtual Town Hall! You’ll learn more about the work and success in the NIEM community—specifically with our state and local communities.

As part of NIEM in November on November 4, 2014, the Best of NIEM awards recognize NIEM implementation projects that show how intergovernmental collaboration and innovative technology works.

We've started developing an open standards process to update the Unified Modeling Language (UML) Profile for NIEM 3.0! With the Request for Proposal (RFP) officially issued by the Object Management Group (OMG), the 3.0 profile is officially in development! The initial submission for NIEM-UML for 3.0 will be submitted on August 18 for review at the September OMG meeting. The team’s working space is on GitHub and we need your help with the initial submisison. (Please note that no materials on the site are final, and all materials developed last year can be found in the "Phase1" folder.) 

NIEM Unified Modeling Language (UML)​ has been used to update both the Gang Intelligence eXchange (GIX) Information Exchange Package Documentation (IEPD) and Prescription Monitoring Information eXchange (PMIX) IEPD.