The SIF Implementation Specification is based on the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) endorsed Extensible Markup Language (XML) which is not linked to a specific operating system or platform.

The SIF Implementation Specification (Australia) leverages the global Specification with a custom data set for Australia.

The Specification includes

• XML defines common data formats and rules of interaction and architecture.
• Event Reporting is a Publish/Subscribe Model.
• Events are published/reported by each application and are received by other applications that have subscribed to them.
• Data Provision is a Request/Response Model.

An application agent may register itself with the ZIS as a provider of certain data objects. This allows the ZIS to satisfy a query request from an agent to locate the provider of a data object. The ZIS acts as the intermediary, forwarding the request to the agent, receiving the response, and then forwarding the response back to the original requester.

Messages are securely encrypted using HTTPS.

• HTTPS is the most commonly used secure method of exchanging data among web browsers.
• Agents are authenticated by the ZIS before messages are passed.
• Message processing includes message validation and message identification.
• Guaranteed message delivery.

By using the SIF Implementation Specification in administrative and instructional educational applications, you will:

• Enhance product functionality efficiently
• Facilitate data sharing without incurring expensive customer development costs
• Leverage co-marketing opportunities with partners and distributors providing best-of-breed solutions to customers easily and seamlessly
• Join industry leaders in creating the next generation framework for education technology