September 1994

CHARTER

COMMITTEE ON APPLICATIONS AND TECHNOLOGY (CAT)
INFORMATION INFRASTRUCTURE TASK FORCE (IITF)

The Committee on Applications and Technology coordinates
Administration efforts to develop, demonstrate, and promote
applications of the National
Information Infrastructure and to develop and recommend
technology strategy and policy to accelerate its implementation. 
Applications include manufacturing, education, health care,
government services, libraries, and other areas.  Technology
policy recommendations are designed to stimulate industry to
implement the NII vision as rapidly as possible.  This committee
works closely with the High Performance Computing,
Communications and Information Technology Subcommittee of the
National Science and Technology Council, which is coordinating
development of new applications technologies, to determine how
Administration policies can best promote the deployment of such
technologies.
This committee is responsible for implementing many of the
recommendations of the Vice President's National
Performance Review that pertain to information technology.  This
committee provides a forum for addressing cross-cutting standards
issues related to the deployment of the NII.

The Committee has established three working groups:
Government Information Technology Services, Technology
Policy and Health Information and Applications.
Abbreviated charters of these groups follow.

GOVERNMENT INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SERVICES
WORKING GROUP

The Government Information Technology Services (GITS)
Working Group develops:

o    a strategic vision and an implementation plan for using
government information resources across and within agencies,

o    steps to improve how government provides information and
services to the public,

o    strategies to empower information technology management in
federal agencies and set priorities for sharing information
resources among agencies.

The GITS Working Group is responsible for implementation of the
recommendations in the National
Performance Review Accompanying Report, "Reengineering
Through Information Technology."  The GITS Working
Group will coordinate initiatives within the federal agencies
with initiatives of the White House in evolving the National
Information Infrastructure.

TECHNOLOGY POLICY WORKING GROUP

The Technology Policy Working Group (TPWG) provides a forum to
address technology issues whose resolution would speed the
creation of the NII.  This forum is aimed at fostering a spirit
of partnership between industry and the Government.  Its focus is
to identify
NII architectural principles and strategies that promote
interoperability, scalability and the use and expansion of
affordable commercial technologies.  The
TPWG will provide roadmaps which describe NII capabilities,
metrics and barriers.  Operating with strong private sector
input, the group highlights mechanisms such as standards and
testbeds to reform the
NII Vision into a seamless operating infrastructure.
The TPWG works closely with the High Performance
Computing, Communications and information Technology
Subcommittee of the National Science and Technology
Council to coordinate technology policy with the government's
current research and development activities.

HEALTH INFORMATION AND APPLICATIONS WORKING GROUP

The Health Information and Applications Working Group
HIAWG fosters the development, deployment, and use of the NII to
improve the health of all Americans.  The
HIAWG will identify and make recommendations on policy and
technical issues that affect the design, development, and use of
the NII for health, including the following: commonality issues
with other NII national challenge applications; privacy issues
associated with health information, in conjunction with the
IITF's Working Group on Privacy; interoperability standards for
the exchange of clinical, administrative, personal, and public
health data; barriers and incentives to the development and use
of the NII for health; and the role of the public and private
sectors.