Subject: DML: XML for international development

XML is a new markup standard for networked documents, a set of custom
tags similar to those used in HTML. While implementation of the new is
in full swing by software developers, there is currently a window of
opportunity for various professional groups (medical practicioners,
chemists, engineers, etc.) to use XML to define their own
sector-specific markup languages. The DML Initiative was formed to
discuss the possibility of a Development Markup Language, or DML, for
the international development community.

As it stands, DML will be a data exchange standard for information that
is specific to international development, making it much easier to to
share information with regional offices, partner agencies and with the
public. It will also be easier to find and manage information about who
is doing what, and where.


This is a global standards-setting activity which will have radical
implications for development planning over the next 10-20 years. We urge
all sectors of the development community to participate. Whether you
belong to a multilateral, private sector, charitable, academic, or
non-governmental organization, add your voice to this collaborative
effort.To find out more about the DML Initiative, visit the website
hosted by Bellanet, at <http://www.bellanet.org/xmltions/newsreleases/1998/ninatip.html/lanina/>.

To join the discussion, subscribe to the DML e-mail list by sending an
e-mail message to Lucie Lamoureux , and ask to
be added to the list.

____________________________________________________________________ 
Bellanet: an international initiative to support collaboration in the
development community

____________________________________________________________________
Lucie Lamoureux - Outreach Program Officer
Bellanet International Secretariat, c/o IDRC 
250 Albert St., PO Box 8500, Ottawa, ON, K1G 3H9, Canada
tel: (613) 236-6163 # 2424   fax: (613) 238-7230 
email: llamoureux@bellanet.org 
www: http://www.bellanet.org/xmltions/newsreleases/1998/ninatip.html/lanina/