Created in 1966 by the principal law enforcement agencies of all 50 States, NLETS' role has evolved from being primarily an interstate telecommunications service for law enforcement to a broad-based network that provides an increasing number of key services to the justice and public safety communities at local, State, Federal, and international government levels. NLETS provides instant, secure, and authorized access to information stored in databases in all 50 States and member countries, as well as information stored in U.S. Federal Government databases. NLETS envisions being an intelligent system that will be able to present the most appropriate information at the right time in a context that is useful for the user. Rapid developments in the creation of the Global Justice eXtensible Markup Language Data Model (GJXDM) have clarified the direction NLETS will take for its next technology initiative. This has facilitated an information-sharing approach that allows broad access to multiple external data sources by making available small components (called services) between automated systems using standards-based and well-defined technology, i.e., XML Web Services. XML Web Services, along with other infrastructure technology, allows NLETS members to integrate their applications and also automate the exchange of information among disparate applications, data repositories, and users as business processes dictate.