-------------------------------------------------------
READ ME: REDESIGNING THE OFFICIAL JOURNALS
A Style Guide for America's Operating System -
Code of Federal Regulations and FedReg
-------------------------------------------------------
The contents of this folder is a proof-of-concept showing what is possible working with the XML files recently produced as part of the FR SGML to XML Conversion Project. PLEASE NOTE THAT THE XML FORMAT *WILL* CHANGE BEFORE GPO RELEASE.
This is the first important step in the process of creating a much more visual, much more usable Federal Register as outlined in Public.Resource.Org's proposal "Federal Register 2.0". Working strictly with the files supplied by us by the GPO, we were able to convert the files into a beta set of HTML and CSS files that work seamlessly with PrinceXML (http://www.princexml.com/), a program that converts XML and HTML into PDF documents.
Using this experiment as a model, it is easy to see how it can become part of a workflow to fully automate the distribution and updating of the Code of Federal Regulations and Federal Register.
We propose that the Code of Federal Regulations be redesigned from the ground up, including the covers which can be reengineered to become an intelligent navigation system. Using color and the familiar CFR Title numbers as wayfinding mechanisms, these two elements can work in tandem to create a more intuitive user interface both on the web in search results or in visualizations and in the context of the CFR and the Federal Register in footnotes and citations. Eventually, a visual icon system can be developed similar to the isotypes developed by Otto Neurath for the National Park System, giving new meaning to the landscape of America’s Operating System.
In order to produce a compelling demo, links were manually embedded in one of the files (01AP_01APR1.HTML.pdf) to show one model of how it might interlink with the web. All of the other files use placeholder links.
The PDF bookmarks and footnotes were automatically generated using a powerful feature in PrinceXML where these anchors can be defined in the css.
The CSS in this demonstration is rough and will be tweaked extensively in future releases.
For your convenience, the original SGML files (e.g., 01AP_01APCN.SGM) and the XML files furnished by the GPO (e.g, 01AP_01APCN.SGM.xml) are also provided.
All files with a "xxxx_xxxxxx.HTML.xml" extension were converted to HTML from FR XML files originally sent by M. Wash on August 7 2009.
TransformedOutputHTML.xml is a Proof-of-Concept XML file sent by M. Wash on April 24 2009. This file was refined and converted using PrinceXML to produce TransformedOutputHTML.pdf which illustrates how close a file can be made to resemble existing printed versions of the CFR.
fedreg.css and cfr.css are the master Cascading Style Sheets used in this demo for the Federal Register and the Code of Federal Regulations, respectively.
All files with a ".PDF" extension were generated from the ".HTML.xml" files using PrinceXML. If desired, similar PDF files can be generated using PrinceXML by downloading the tool and following the installation instructions at http://www.princexml.com/
------------------------------------------------------- Color # CFR Title ------------------------------------------------------- #512538 1. General Provisions #D77B6F 2. Grants and Agreements #00446A 3. The President #93C576 4. Accounts #E36F2D 5. Administrative Personnel #A5ACBF 6. Domestic Security #A8A67E 7. Agriculture #114353 8. Aliens and Nationality #AD095A 9. Animals and Animal Products #E48BAD 10. Energy #FBDFCF 11. Federal Elections #4E4061 12. Banks and Banking #8B992D 13. Business Credit and Assistance #BCD7C0 14. Aeronautics and Space #70B7BB 15. Commerce and Foreign Trade #9C6B31 16. Commercial Practices #843F4C 17. Commodity and Securities Exchange #E7AA70 18. Conservation of Power and Water Resources #2F1425 19. Custom Duties #008C6E 20. Employees’ Benefits #848C8F 21. Food and Drugs #D01625 22. Foreign Relations #651E66 23. Highways #114353 24. Housing and Urban Development #161528 25. Indians #41331F 26. Internal Revenue #940F33 27. Alcohol, Tobacco Products and Firearms #00A0D3 28. Judicial Administration #FFF699 29. Labor #244C88 30. Mineral Resources #853C1D 31. Money and Finance: Treasury #609FC0 32. National Defense #A378A0 33. Navigation and Navigable Waters #C49C72 34. Education ------- 35. [ RESERVED ] ------------------------------ #332063 36. Parks, Forests, and Public Property #6B2223 37. Patents, Trademarks and Copyrighst #504D18 38. Pensions, Bonuses, and Veterans’ Releif #FFEF34 39. Postal Service #B8B06A 40. Protection of Environment #244C88 41. Public Contracts and Property Management #DC565B 42. Public Health #99D4E7 43. Public Lands: Interior #28A37A 44. Emergency Management and Assistance #D84127 45. Public Welfare #AB7927 46. Shipping #005F84 47. Telecommunication #003325 48. Federal Acquisition Regulations System #DBA548 49. Transportation #0E5C39 50. Wildlife and Fisheries -------------------------------------------------------
This palette is under development and hues are subject to refinement.