Letters

Thanks for the informative Eye On The States column, "Statewide E-Commerce Is On A Roll," in the Sept. 10 issue.

I cannot resist pointing out you missed a very important initiative close to home. The Federal Highway Administration has been sponsoring the Commercial Vehicle Information Systems and Networks (CVISN) program for several years, with matching funds from state governments. Maryland, Virginia and Kentucky are among the most advanced participating states.

A key component of the project is electronic credentialing for commercial vehicles, with Interstate Registration Plan and Interstate Fuel Tax Agreement credentialing as the most improved applications. The CVISN architecture is based on open standards, notably the ANSI X12 EDI standards for credentialing. Information exchange is based on TCP/IP protocols and uses SMTP/POP e-mail attachments for EDI file transfer.

Implementation features a "thick client" approach, with new capabilities in the early development stages for a Web-enabled approach. This electronic credentialing serves as an excellent model for state/federal/industry partnership in developing electronic commerce with an open-standards-based approach. The program Web site, www.jhuapl.edu/cvisn/, provides an overview and background information.



Richard Waddell Jr.
CVISN System Architect for Maryland

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