The Government Information Factory

The Government Information Factory: "The GIF is in many ways similar to the CIF. The GIF basic architecture is very similar to the CIF architecture. There is no question that the two architectures are related. First came the CIF then came the GIF. There are significant differences between the two architectures.
The first significant difference between the architectures is the need for wide integration of data in government systems. The corporate motivation for a data warehouse includes only the corporation. They only build a system for themselves.
The government has a different set of problems. After September 11, 2001, there is a mandate from congress and the president to share data among government departments. Within the boundaries of the law data between the FBI, Immigration and Naturalization, the CIA and many others must be shared."

If you've ever cocked your head when you've heard of the GIF, this is a good introduction.