Introducing: Andrew Michael Schoka

Nationality: American

Residence: Reston, Virginia, United States of America

Languages spoken: English

Andrew is an Associate Director of Document Engineering Services, an international consortium of experts supporting universal business interoperability through the use of open standards. Andrew is a technically focused information systems engineer with expertise in the application of open information technology standards for information interoperability.  His major strengths include the development and application of national and international information system reference models, frameworks and architectures for the US Department of Transportation, US Department of Defense and NATO through collaboration and management in a multi-organizational environment including ISO, UN/CEFACT and OASIS. As an Information Systems Engineer with expertise in Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) he has provided technical and program management support in the definition, development, and review of information technology standards requirements, standards and support activities leading to the implementation and deployment of Intelligent Transportation Systems standards.

Career History:

2005 - Present AMSchoka Consulting LLC, Reston, Virginia. Principal Information Systems Engineer. Mr. Schoka provides technical support to the Universal Electronic Freight Management (UEFM) initiative which is one of nine major Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) initiatives so designated by the Federal Highway Administration. Effort is directed at defining, developing, and reviewing standard data requirements, data standards, and support activities leading to the implementation and deployment of standardized intermodal data. In support of the UEFM initiative, he participates in the Universal Business Language (UBL) Technical Committee of the Organization for the Advancement of Structured Information Standards (OASIS) and its Transport Subcommittee in order to explore the adoption of UBL 2.0 within a demonstration of how electronic manifests can be deployed through standardization.

Mr. Schoka also participates as a US Expert in ISO TC204, Working Group 1 (System Architecture) and Working Group 7 (Freight and Fleet Management).

1996-2005: Mitretek Systems, Inc, Falls Church, Virginia. Principal Information Systems Engineer – Intelligent Transportation Systems. Mr. Schoka provided technical and program management support to the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) within Department of Transportation in the definition, development, and review of standards requirements, standards and support activities leading to the implementation and deployment of Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) standards. He also supported FHWA's Office of Freight Management and Operations on the Electronic Freight Manifest Initiative, including concept formulation, standards development, and formulation of a freight information highway concept.

Areas of responsibilities included participation in both national and international ITS standards activities to substantially promote standards development.

Supported ISO Technical Committee 204, Intelligent Transport Systems, Working Group on Freight and Fleet Management in the development of an electronic freight manifest standard entitled “Data dictionary and message set to facilitate the movement of freight and its intemodal transfer - Road transport information exchanges for supply chain freight time-sensitive delivery (Road-Air Freight – Road).” Support also included technical liaison with the Transport Group of the United Nations Centre for Trade Facilitation and Electronic Business (UN/CEFACT) and ISO Technical Committee 154, Processes, data elements, and documents in commerce, industry, and administration.

Participated as a U.S. Expert on ISO Technical Committee 204, Intelligent Transport Systems, Working Group on system architecture formulating standards and guides for applying information technology to ITS. This included being technical editor for ISO 14817 "Requirements for an ITS/TICS data registry and ITS/TICS data dictionaries." Promoted U.S. positions on international standards through ballot comment on selected ISO Technical Committee and Working Group draft standards. This included participation in US Technical Advisory Group (TAG) to ISO TC204 and in the ANSI International Forum (AIF) on behalf of TAG Chair.

Participated as a U.S. delegate to the ITS Experts Group of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation Transportation Working Group (APEC-TPT) where APEC's standards needs are formulated and communicated to ISO TC204. This included performing the Group Secretariat function supporting the U.S. Chair.

Mr. Schoka supported the FHWA’s Joint Program Office for ITS in formulating and executing a program of work for the ITS standards effort. He defined program management tools to integrate discrete activities of the participating organizations into a coherent coordinated effort and participated in Government program reviews.  Mr. Schoka also participated in the NATO Open System Environment (OSE) Expert Group by providing technical expertise in the areas of Data Interchange and Internationalization as contained in the NATO OSE Reference Model.

1977-1996 The MITRE Corporation, McLean, Virginia.Lead Information Systems Engineer. Provided technical and programmatic support to the Defense Information Systems Agency's Center for Standards (DISA/CFS) in its role as the DOD Executive Agent for coordinating and integrating the DOD’s Information Technology standards program. Managed corporate resources and collaborated on multi-agency/company teams to improve interoperability, effectiveness, and efficiency of DOD’s information systems and to reduce costs through the uniform application of standards.

Defined, organized and executed targeted technical analyses of emerging de facto and de jure standards addressing information processing requirements. Delivered vertical expertise in information transfer and processing standards across the board, especially as related to open systems information interchange standards such as SGML/HTML, CGM, EDI, and PDF.

Analyzed CFS business processes and briefed top management on a new paradigm for standards development based on the Internet approach. Proposed a streamlined standards approval process focusing on closer customer interaction.

Formulated, coordinated, and established consensus-based DOD positions on International Standardized Profiles. Advocated DOD interests as a member of the US Delegation to the ISO/JTC 1 Special Group on Functional Standardization (SGFS).

Participated in the CALS Industry Steering Group (Standards Committee) promoting the early adoption of emerging commercial standards and international coordination on standards for data exchange. Refined the military versions of the CALS standards through collaboration with various DOD Working Groups developing military standards. Developed a strategy for CFS to be recognized within ISO as an authorized submitter of publicly available specifications. Identified selected military standards (especially CALS standards) for promotion as International Standardized Profiles.

Lead Information Systems Engineer. Provided key technical, programmatic, and management expertise to a major collaborative effort resulting in the development of DOD policy on Information Technology expressed in the DOD Technical Architecture Framework for Information Management (TAFIM). The TAFIM is an enterprise-level guide for developing technical architectures that satisfy specific functional requirements by promoting interoperability, application portability, and scalability of DOD information systems.

As a facilitator as well as a key technical advocate, established the technical foundation for the TAFIM through the formulation of the DOD Technical Reference Model. Transformed the IEEE POSIX Open System Environment (OSE) reference model into the DOD context resulting in the initial technical guidance to DOD Components for the acquisition, development and support of DOD information systems and associated infrastructure. Internationalized the (IEEE) OSE reference model within the context of the ISO/IEC JTC 1 Framework and Taxonomy for International Standardized Profiles (TR10000).

Participated in the IEEE Portable Applications Standards Committee as a primary technical contributor to the recently approved IEEE Guide to the POSIX Open System Environment. Authored sections of the Guide dealing with information interchange, graphics, and profiling. As a major collaborative effort, developed the first DOD Profile of Standards for interoperability and application portability through a consensus-based process involving Service and Agency information architects responsible for future information systems in the areas of intelligence, command and control, and business processing. Advanced the standards profile and its application to specific systems including Defense Information Infrastructure (DII), Global Command and Control System (GCCS), Intelink, DOD Service/Agency Architectures.

Promulgated TAFIM concepts and principles for open information systems to the NATO environment through the development of a NATO TAFIM enhancing US/NATO interoperability. Served as the US technical expert to the NATO OSE Expert Group consisting of National representatives responsible for developing the NATO OSE reference model, standards baseline, and profiling methodology for infrastructure information systems.

1967-1977: HRB-Singer, Inc., State College, Pennsylvania

HRB-Singer, Inc., State College, Pennsylvania: Mr. Schoka developed intelligence and information systems for Department of Defense.

Career History

Universal Electronic Freight Management (UEFM). One of nine major Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) initiatives so designated by the Federal Highway Administration. Effort is directed at defining, developing, and reviewing standard data requirements, data standards, and support activities leading to the implementation and deployment of standardized intermodal data.

DOD Technical Architecture Framework for Information Management (TAFIM). The TAFIM is an enterprise-level guide for developing technical architectures that satisfy specific functional requirements by promoting interoperability, application portability, and scalability of DOD information systems.

Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) Standards Program The Federal Highway Administration's (FHWA's) program within the Department of Transportation in the definition, development, and review of standards requirements, standards and support activities leading to the implementation and deployment of ITS standards.

Publications

ISO, Committee Draft 24533, Intelligent Transport Systems - Data dictionary and message set to facilitate the movement of freight and its intemodal transfer - Road transport information exchanges for supply chain freight time-sensitive delivery (Road-Air Freight-Road), July 2005

ISO, International Standard 14817:2002, Transport Information and Control Systems - Requirements for an ITS/TICS central data registry and ITS/TICS data dictionaries

IEEE, IEEE Guide to the POSIX Open System Environment, May 1995 ISO/IEC JTC1 SGFS, Framework and Taxonomy for International Standardized Profiles (TR10000), 1995

US DOD, Technical Architecture Framework for Information Management, Version 1.0, June 1994

NATO OSE Expert Group, NATO Open System Environment, Version 3.0, July 1996

Academic Qualifications

B.S. Electrical Engineering, Rutgers, the State University 1963

B.S. General, Rutgers, the State University 1963

Professional Affiliations:

2006-Present

OASIS Universal Business Language Technical Committee and Transport Subcommittee

2004-Present

UNCEFACT TBG3

1996-Present

ISO Technical Committee 204 (Intelligent Transport Systems) System Architecture Working Group (WG1)

Fleet and Freight Management Working Group (WG7)

1996-Present

US Technical Advisory Group (TAG) to ISO TC204, Intelligent Transport Systems System Architecture Working Advisory Group Fleet and Freight Management Working Advisory Group

1996-Present

National Committee for Information Technology Standards (NCITS) L8, Data Representation

1996-2005

IEEE Standards Coordinating Committee 32, ITS Data Dictionary and Message Template Working Group (1996-2005)

1996-2005

IEEE Standards Coordinating Committee 32, ITS Data Dictionary and Message Template Working Group

1993-1995

IEEE Portable Applications Standards Committee, P1003.0

1994-1995

ISO/IEC Special Group on Functional Standardization (SGFS)

1994-1995

JTC 1 Technical Advisory Group for Functional Standardization (JTFS)

CALS Industry Steering Group (Standards Committee/Drawing and Graphics)

IEEE Computer Society