Web Services Coordination Group Charter

This is the second charter for the Web Services Coordination Group. For reference purposes, the first charter is available.

1. Scope and Functions
2. Duration
3. Confidentiality
4. Participation
5. External Groups
6. Meetings Schedule and Records
7. Intellectual Property

1. Scope and Functions

The Web Services Coordination Group is part of the Web Services Activity.

The Web Services Coordination Group provides a forum for coordination for Web services work at W3C, between the Working Groups of the Web Services Activity, the Semantic Web Activity, other parts of W3C, and other organizations.

The Coordination Group (CG) itself has no deliverables; those are produced by Working Groups (WG).

The functions of the Web Services Coordination Group is to:

• Coordinate deliverables of Web Services Activity Groups.
• Make known and monitor dependencies between WGs and IGs.
• Recommend the creation and dissolution of Working Groups within its chartered scope.
• Recommend technical liaison inside and outside the W3C
• Set master WG/IG/CG meeting schedule.
• Manage crises:
  • In the event of disagreements between Working Groups, attempt to mediate the dispute.
  • Deal with upper W3C echelons when necessary.
  • Deal with aggrieved Member organizations when necessary.
• In particular, gather and forward requests for additional requirements to the appropriate WG(s).
• Forward requests for process changes originating in the Web Services Activity upward into the larger W3C.

2. Duration

The duration of this charter is until 1 February 2006.

3. Confidentiality

The proceedings of the meetings of the Web Services Coordination Group are public. The mailing list used is <[email protected]>. A public mailing list <[email protected]> is also available.

4. Participation

The Web Services Coordination Group membership consists of:

• A Chair and W3C Team contact.
• The Chairs of the Web Services Activity Working Groups and Interest Groups.
• The Web Services Activity Lead.
• The Semantic Web Activity Lead.
• Liaisons, as decided by the CG, including a liaison with:
  • the Semantic Web Coordination Group
  • the XML Coordination Group

A Working Group Chair can appoint a representative to the CG if he/she is not available. Members (including the Team contact) are expected to devote approximately 2-4 hours a week to CG activities. Members are expected adhere to the W3C IPR disclosure policy.

The Chair of the Web Services Coordination Group is Steve Ross-Talbot (Enigmatec Corporation). The W3C Team contact is Hugo Haas.

5. External Groups

The Web Services Coordination Group will pay particular attention to related Web services work carried in external groups and recommend technical liaisons as appropriate, including work happening in the following organizations:

• DAML Services effort
• Electronic Business using eXtensible Markup Language (ebXML)
• Global Grid Forum
• Object Management Group
• Organization for the Advancement of Structured Information Standards (OASIS)
• Web Services Interoperability Organization (WS-I)

6. Meeting Schedule and Record

The Web Services Coordination Group will hold a distributed meeting every other week. The Coordination Group may meet face-to-face if deemed necessary.

The home page of the Coordination Group, maintained by the Chair and Team contact, provides convenient access to:

• Membership list of the CG.
• Meeting records.
• Schedule of future events.

The Coordination Group meeting records must include attendance, the results of the group's decisions, and action items. These records must be made publicly available except for W3C-confidential and administrative information. The Chair is responsible for deciding what information is to be withheld from the public record.

7. Intellectual Property

W3C promotes an open working environment. Whenever possible, technical decisions should be made unencumbered by intellectual property right (IPR) claims. This Coordination Group will operate under the W3C Current Patent Practice as amended by the W3C Patent Policy Transition Procedure.