With apologies for cross posting. There is a new Public Sector Vocabulary which will be replacing GCL, LGCL and seamlessUK, the new vocabulary has been built to help citizens and customers as well as public servants get easier and more efficient access to information. The Integrated Public Sector Vocabulary (IPSV) is supported by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister and is being funded through the LAWs National Project. Integrated Public Sector Vocabulary (IPSV) Helps Everyone Get Easier And More Efficient Access To Information New Standard Merges GCL, LGCL And seamlessUK Taxonomy To Simplify Electronic Content Management The Integrated Public Sector Vocabulary (IPSV), released on April 4th 2005, will no longer require organisations in the UK public sector to apply the GCL, LGCL and seamlessUK taxonomy separately. The IPSV will merge all three into one list, applicable to website metadata, electronic document and record management systems, content management systems, and all situations for managing electronic information and services. It will meet recognised quality standards and remove long-standing confusion about how to apply the three separate lists. It will link up with other facilities used by local authorities, such as the Local Government Service List (LGSL) This initiative has the backing of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM), the e-Government Unit of the Cabinet Office (eGU), the Local e- Government Standards Body (eSB) and Essex County Council. The list owners have contributed: . The Government Category List (GCL), a high-level category list which is currently mandated by the e-Government Metadata Standard (eGMS) for use throughout the public sector . The Local Government Category List (LGCL), a product from the LAWs National Project for use within the Local Government Community . The seamlessUK Taxonomy, a product of the seamlessUK Project for use in a broad community information environment. The IPSV will help citizens and customers as well as public servants get easier and more efficient access to information. Terms from the IPSV will be added to the subject metadata of electronic resources, so that all such information can be easily pooled, managed and shared. When resources are tagged consistently with IPSV terms, data sets from diverse organisations can be retrieved and the results routed through a variety of delivery channels. The increased interoperability will offer a strategic advantage in linking e-enabled services to the Government's Directgov portal ( www.direct.gov.uk). From a local authority's point of view the integrated vocabulary supports the delivery of the ODPM's Priority Service Outcome R3 "Community Information." IPSV will also reduce the overheads, costs and workload required to implement a controlled vocabulary within content management systems, search systems and automatic metadata creation systems, a major benefit for any organisation. Public sector organisations should prepare to apply or migrate to the IPSV, as soon as feasible after its release. The next version of the eGMS, expected mid-2005, will recommend the IPSV in place of the GCL. Local Authorities that are currently implementing the LGCL as part of Priority Service R3 should continue to do so and will be offered further guidance and support around implementation of metadata and migration to the IPSV after December 2005; this will include mapping to IPSV from LGCL and LGSL. There will be opportunities for consultation and discussion about the new vocabulary as it develops, including various workshops and dissemination events. The list will be displayed on esd-toolkit and a discussion forum has been set up jointly between eSB and esd-toolkit. Please log on to the following link. http://www.esd-toolkit.org/integratedforums/ for more information. Development of the IPSV is funded through the LAWs National Project from the Roll Out and Dissemination budget for the National Projects (www.localegovnp.org/laws). ends Notes to the editors For more information, please contact Sheila Apicella, Assistant Programme Director of the Local e-Government Standards Body, [log in to unmask] For further information about the LAWs National Project, please go to http://www.localegovnp.org/laws or contact Mark Dixon, LAWs Project Support Officer, [log in to unmask] LAWs is holding a joint APLAWS+ and LGOL-net User Group event in London on 8th March at Holiday Inn Bloomsbury (London), The day will include introductory and user group sessions on both of the products and will give you a chance to hear from case study authorities and key suppliers. For more information please visit http://www.localegovnp.org/laws. The LAWs National Project's main objective is to help local authorities to deliver a higher quality and wider range of services online within the framework of the e-government agenda. This is in line with the key objective of the ODPM's Public Service Agreement target, "assisting local government to achieve 100% capability in electronic delivery of priority services by 2005, in ways that customers will use". LAWs National Project is one of 22 local e-Government National Projects. Initiated by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, the National Projects are a key part of its national strategy for local e-government. They offer councils cost-effective, proven, standards-based products, services and implementation roadmaps with which to build effective e-services tailored to their citizens and each council's own unique needs. The 22 Projects have been created to help local authorities deliver local e- government by December 2005 - meeting their Priority Outcome requirements and helping them to respond to the recommendations of the Gershon efficiency review. http://www.localegovnp.org.uk