New validation services for the ELRD v3.1 provided by the Interoperability Test Bed

The Interoperability Test Bed extends its support for the European Land Registry Document (ELRD) specification with validation for its latest version 3.1.

The Europe Land Registry Association (ELRA), developed the IMOLA I project in order to produce a model for standardised land registry outputs. This standard, the European Land Registry Document (ELRD) provides an interoperability solution to the variations found in individual land registries and the different formats they use. It formulates reference information within a structure of common fields (a template) and is developed by means of an XML Schema that allows the semi-automated processing of information through shared rules with thesaurus-derived metadata.

The IMOLA II project is the follow-up to this effort aiming to bring online a knowledge repository integrated on the e-Justice Portal and its support tooling, to ease the implementation of the ELRD as a standardised common output for Land Register's information. The project drove this activity supporting it with several training sessions and an ELRD proof of concept implemented in three EU Land Registries. The project's results were presented in its closing conference in Brussels on September 19th 2019.

The Test Bed has been a close partner to the IMOLA projects, supporting the ELRD with validation available both via standalone online validator and through a community in the ISA² Test Bed. These services, initially set up in May 2019 for ELRD version 3.0 and presented during the IMOLA II closing conference, were extended in February 2020 for the latest 3.1 version. Validation of ELRD content is now possible for versions 3.0 and 3.1, both in an anonymous and stateless manner (via the validator), and also with persistent results and reporting (via the Test Bed).

With core validation support in place, further steps are now being considered to extend the available validation options to address National customisations and business rules, as well as the possibility of implementing conformance test scenarios through the Test Bed. With respect to the ELRD itself, work is currently ongoing to publish the knowledge base on the e-Justice Portal, expected to be brought online within the upcoming weeks.

Further information on the IMOLA projects and the ELRD specification can be found on the ELRA website. If you are new to the Test Bed you are invited to check its information in Joinup, with its value proposition being an ideal starting point, or the Test Bed's XML validation guide if you are interested in implementing similar validation services. Finally, to remain updated of all the latest Test Bed news:

• Join the Test Bed’s community and subscribe to its news feed using your favourite RSS reader.
• Follow ISA²'s social media channels (Twitter, LinkedIn) for updates on the Test Bed and other interoperability solutions.