IE 11 Not Supported

For optimal browsing, we recommend Chrome, Firefox or Safari browsers.

Arizona Rolls Out New Plans for Service-Oriented Architecture

The goal of the program is to continuously evolve and improve state services through the use of emergent information technology.

Arizona's Government Information Technology Agency (GITA), in cooperation with Arizona state agencies, has been working to develop plans for the implementation of Service Oriented Architecture (SOA). The goal of the program is to continuously evolve and improve state services through the use of emergent information technology.

Software technologies of today that did not exist in the past will now provide the next step of automation delivery for greater flexibility and creativity in crossing agency application boundaries for common services and information, said GITA in a release. All shared services and information will comply with applicable federal and state statutes.

The state of Arizona will be developing and implementing four SOA pilot projects over the next 12 months for proof of concept of streamlining state services and common services for use by other organizations where overlapping business processes and redundancy can be reduced and/or eliminated. The four SOA pilot projects and participating state agencies are as follows:
  • Arizona Department of Economic Security (DES) -- Vital Statistics Data for the Enterprise: This project will allow the state to consolidate processes and information for accessing and utilizing vital statistics managed by the Department of Health Services (DHS). Vital statistics include birth and death records, health care licensing information for hospitals and labs, WIC recipients, fraud, etc. This enterprise system will replace current redundant systems and processes currently performed by DES and other health care organizations.
  • Arizona Department of Revenue (ADOR) -- Electronic Filing of Corporate Withholding Taxes: The employer withholding e-File service will provide application interfaces and enablers for ADOR's tax accounting system for the submission of corporate personnel withholding tax filings. Process and methods will include single and batch filings of returns; utilization of the federal/state employment taxes (FSET) communications protocol which promotes the use of SOA toolsets, workbenches and application suites. This new service will provide a proactive Web service response for the transmission, receipt and acknowledgement for taxing recipients ensuring filing acceptance, time-date stamping, and official recorded returns by the state.
  • Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS) -- Health-e Medicaid Health Information Exchange and Electronic Health Record Utility (HIE/HER): This project will provide patient health information at the point of service and transmit health information through SOA business applications for other health care providers. The health-e system will be a central repository of health information and services for all members to access and update through Web services resulting in a more efficient and effective health care system. Real time access will result in the reduction of medical errors, a reduction of redundant testing and procedures, improve coordination of care for chronic diseases, increased preventive measures, reduction in the use of emergency rooms, and lower administrative costs.
  • Arizona Department of Education -- Arizona Institutions of Higher Learning SAIS Student Locator: Establishes a Web service with SOA enablers that will enable Arizona institutions of higher learning such as state universities and community colleges to automatically retrieve and/or validate a student's SAIS (Student Accountability Information System) identifier. This effort will further improve the authentication and accuracy of a student's status and other information within the state's educational system. This project is in response to a legislated mandate for Arizona colleges and universities to retain accurate SAIS ID's for student applicants and registered students at Arizona schools.
  • Additional SOA Projects as Administered by the Department of Administration -- Statewide E-mail and Enterprise Wide Imaging: Statewide E-mail -- Based on the governor's initiative to contact every state employee by e-mail, ADOA has identified Microsoft Exchange and Novell Group Wise as the statewide standard for e-mail systems for the state as an enterprise. Both systems will enable the sharing of address books through SOA applications and provide a centralized system for executive leadership to contact all state personnel and other third party organizations. Enterprise Wide Imaging -- In response to a growing need for imaging paper documents for electronic storage and archiving, ADOA has partnered with GITA, the Arizona Library, Archives and Public Records (ASLAPR) and the Office of Efficiency Review to create, develop and implement an enterprise solution for digital documents. This effort will further promote a paperless environment as well as digital archiving through SOA applications, another key initiative for e-government solutions.