Trusted Data Format

Trusted Data Format


Chief Information Officer

IC Technical Specifications

Trusted Data Format

XML Data Encoding Specification for Trusted Data Format


This XML Data Encoding Specification for Trusted Data Format (IC-TDF.XML) defines detailed implementation guidance for using Extensible Markup Language (XML) to encode IC-TDF data.
 
Information sharing within the national intelligence enterprise will increasingly rely on information assurance metadata (including enterprise data headers) to allow interagency access control, automated exchanges, and appropriate protection of shared intelligence. A structured, verifiable representation of security metadata bound to the intelligence data is required in order for the enterprise to become inherently "smarter" about the information flowing in and around it. Such a representation, when implemented with other data formats, improved user interfaces, and data processing utilities, can provide part of a larger, robust information assurance infrastructure capable of automating some of the management and exchange decisions today being performed by human beings.

The Intelligence Community (IC) has standardized the various classification and control markings established for information sharing within the Information Security Markings (ISM), Need-To-Know (NTK), Information Resource Metadata (IRM), Enterprise Data Header (EDH), and Access Rights and Handling (ARH) XML specifications of the Intelligence Community Enterprise Architecture (ICEA) Data Standards. The IC Trusted Data Format XML specification further expands on this body of work, adapting and extending it as necessary for TDF to function as the IC submission format for binding assertion metadata with data resource(s). This TDF functionality supports the IC way ahead strategy of implementing secure cloud-based information exchange and discovery on the IC Enterprise

This specification applies to the IC, as defined by the National Security Act of 1947, as amended; and such other elements of any other department or agency as may be designated by the President, or designated jointly by the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) and the head of the department or agency concerned, as an element of the IC. Joint and Coalition forces may use this specification but it is not required.

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