OpenTravel

OpenTravel's Organizational Structure

OpenTravel Announces Organizational Changes

Over the last year the OpenTravel Board of Directors reviewed the organizational structure of OpenTravel and decided to make changes to the organization at every level.  Read the Chairman's email to the membership.  Read the FAQ, or the full details of all the changes.

Board of Directors

The Board of Directors provides the strategic direction of the OpenTravel Alliance, ensures that due process has been followed in the specifications development process, decides which work groups are needed, and approves project team requests.  The Board is comprised of representatives of each of the travel industry segments for which there are OpenTravel work groups.

Interoperability Committee

The Interoperability Committee coordinates and integrates the recommendations of work groups, sub-committees and project teams for development of the specification. In doing so, The Interoperability Committee assists in establishing priorities for each work group, sub-committee and project team, recommends timetables to the Board of Directors, determines the content for the specification, decides upon the documentation necessary for completing the specification and delivers the specification to the Board of Directors for approval prior to distributing to the membership and public for review.

Work Groups

Each OpenTravel work group serves the needs of the travel related industry segment it represents. Work groups identify and develop the scope of work for the respective industry sector they represent, and develop XML specifications for consideration by the OpenTravel Interoperability Committee. Specifications work may include development of a data dictionary, message structure, use cases and models. The current work groups include:

• Transport (includes air, car rental, rail and any other transport-related travel segment)
  
• Hospitality (includes hotel, cruise and any other hospitality-related travel segment)
• Architecture
• Travel Integration

Project Teams

Project teams are formed by members to address specific functional work, and are created within the corresponding work group.  The work groups review project proposals and recommend their approval to the Interoperability Committee.  Work groups review all project team output during the course of the publication cycle, and report progress to the Interoperability Committee and the OpenTravel Board.  View a list of current projects.

Sub-committees

OpenTravel sub-committees work on specific deliverables requiring expertise in a defined area or may work on an issue that impacts most or all work groups. The Interoperability Committee creates or disbands sub-committees as needed.  Currently, there is one sub-committee:

The Data Content Sub-committee provides schema support to the Interoperability Committee, including maintaining a codelist and naming convention guideline, reviewing and harmonizing new elements, and creating new element name for cross-industry use. 

Communications Committee

The Communications Committee works with the Executive Director to support the market positioning and message of the OpenTravel Alliance in each of the industry verticals it serves.  Members review marketing materials, participate in marketing projects and provide assistance to the organization to ensure OpenTravel's important role in the marketplace is understood.

For Further Information

For an in depth description of how the OpenTravel Board, Interoperablility Committee, work groups and project teams work together to develop specifications, view the Procedures Manual.  Note that as of May 24, 2007, OpenTravel's organizational structure has changed.  Updated documentation will be available as of December 15, 2007.