IBM Scores a huge deal with NYC Dept of Ed...open standards?
Upon first hearing of the gigantic contract ($80 million) IBM was just awarded to patch together the obtuse and obsolete software systems that appear to redundantly employ half of the administrators at the department of education, I gasped a sigh of "oh great, here we go again..."
The mash of incompatible student data mainframes for attendance, scheduling, student identification and incident reporting, each with its own exclusive, proprietary vendor, provides a rich metaphor for the Kafkaesque labrynth that has been the nation's largest single school system.
In my cynical mind, IBM would just be one more in a long line of vampiric vendors plying its bloodmeal on the urban public sector.
But alas, IBM may be a rather enlightened crew.
For over a decade there's been a movement afoot called "open standards," akin to the open source revolution, wherein sofware firms have begun to recognize the vast added value that is created for a client when data formats are compatible across a wide array of systems and applications. In education, a current leading standards group is called the Schools Interoperability Framework and they appear to be getting a big shot in the arm...
In Googling about regarding open standards for educational software, I discovered that IBM has made clear its intent NOT to enforce its patents on software standards, and to participate in standards discussions that unify the field! Check out this 2005 IBM legal memo:
"The Healthcare Industry and the Education Industry both have complex information needs and complex ecosystems across which information must be accurately, securely and efficiently shared. Standards can foster interoperability and dramatically improve the ability to communicate data and information among and between companies, throughout communities. IBM has shown our commitment to open standards by working actively in standards organizations for many years. IBM is again taking a leadership role to further drive the adoption of software interoperability standards in these important industries. We are announcing that IBM patents will be available for the development, implementation and use of selected open healthcare and education software standards, through a patent nonassert described in legal terms below." See full article
As a self proclaimed open-source enthusiast for educators, I am deeply heartened by the thought that New York City may now be moving to the leading edge of using student information management protocols based on OPEN STANDARDS!
Hopefully, this means many different developers can create applications for schools that are compatible with (and enhance the value of) the centralized systems IBM builds for NYC.
This may be the end of the era of wasteful, proprietary data silos at the DOE.
Joseph K. may at long last have his day. (Obscure Kafka reference)
Other links:
- andrewstillman's blog
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