Introduction
In our increasingly digital world, there’s an ongoing push for greater efficiency through automation. However, this drive toward technological advancement should not come at the expense of interoperability. Cohesion is a powerful concept that has many benefits, but it can also create barriers to interoperability between systems. Interoperability is the ability of systems, networks or programs to exchange information and to use that information within their own functions. There are three dimensions of interoperability: semantic, syntactic and procedural. Semantic interoperability refers to the ability for systems to understand one another’s meaning. Syntactic interoperability deals with the manner in which data is formatted and structured. Procedural interoperability involves shared protocols and rules for exchanging data between components, both internal and external to the organization
Cohesion is a powerful concept that has many benefits, but it can also create barriers to interoperability between systems.
Cohesion is a powerful concept that has many benefits, but it can also create barriers to interoperability between systems. In this article, we’ll discuss how cohesion can lead to interoperability barriers between systems and explore some ways you might be able to mitigate them.
Interoperability is the ability of systems, networks or programs to exchange information and to use that information within their own functions.
Interoperability is the ability to communicate and exchange information. It’s what allows your smartphone to connect with your car’s dashboard, or for your computer to read a document created on a different device. Interoperability is important because it allows systems, networks and programs to work together in order to achieve shared goals. For example:
- You can’t use an app on your phone unless both sides have agreed upon how they’ll communicate with each other (e.g., Bluetooth).
- Your doctor needs access to all of your medical records if he wants them when he sees you in person; otherwise there would be no way for him/her know what medications or treatments might interact negatively with one another if given together at different times during treatment cycles (e.g., blood pressure medication versus cholesterol lowering drugs).
There are three dimensions of interoperability: semantic, syntactic and procedural.
Semantic interoperability refers to the ability for systems to understand one another’s meaning. For example, if you were looking up information about a patient in an electronic health record (EHR), semantic interoperability would allow you to find out what medications they are currently taking and why they are being prescribed those medications.
Syntactic interoperability deals with the manner in which data is formatted and structured so that it can be exchanged between components in different systems or applications. This can include things like using common data elements or using standard formats for exchanging information such as XML documents for medical records documents or HL7 messages for lab test results from different facilities within an integrated health care system or between providers who may not share a common EHR system but need access nonetheless due to requirements set forth by payers such as Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).
Semantic interoperability refers to the ability for systems to understand one another’s meaning.
Semantic interoperability refers to the ability for systems to understand one another’s meaning. It is a powerful concept that can create barriers to interoperability between systems, but it can also be a challenge to know what a system means when it says it is doing something.
Consider this example: “I am going on vacation.” The first thing that comes to mind is likely an image of someone packing their bags or getting ready for travel. However, when we put this statement into context with other data points such as flight information and hotel reservations, we might discover that our friend was actually planning on staying home all along! This implies that semantic interoperability requires us not only understand the words used by our partners (and ourselves), but also consider how those words might be interpreted in different contexts–and even change over time as new information becomes available or old assumptions are disproven by experience.
Syntactic interoperability deals with the manner in which data is formatted and structured.
Syntactic interoperability deals with the manner in which data is formatted and structured. It’s about how you can exchange information between two systems, regardless of what kind of data you’re exchanging. For example, let’s say that my organization has an application for processing payroll that uses XML (Extensible Markup Language) to communicate with our clients’ HR systems. We’d need some way to make sure that both our system and theirs can understand each other’s syntax so they can exchange information about employees without any problems–and this is where syntactic interoperability comes into play!
Syntax refers to the rules governing how we arrange words and phrases within sentences; it also refers to those same principles applied at a higher level: namely, formatting documents or programming languages according to certain standards so that they’re readable by computers as well as humans alike
Procedural interoperability involves shared protocols and rules for exchanging data between components, both internal and external to the organization.
Procedural interoperability involves shared protocols and rules for exchanging data between components, both internal and external to the organization. Procedural interoperability is a key component of semantic interoperability.
Procedural protocols describe how information should be exchanged between parties in order for them to communicate successfully. They are used by organizations that have standardized their business processes across their internal departments as well as with their customers or suppliers outside of their organization.
The drive toward greater efficiency through automation should not come at the expense of interoperability
The drive toward greater efficiency through automation should not come at the expense of interoperability. Interoperability is a term used to describe how software can communicate and interact with other systems, including other software applications and devices such as sensors or robots. It’s important because it helps organizations achieve their goals by enabling them to share data across multiple platforms without hindering productivity or efficiency.
In order to promote this kind of collaboration between different entities, you need an underlying architecture that allows for seamless communication between systems–and this is where Cohesion comes in!
Conclusion
We’re at a critical moment in history. The explosion of data, coupled with advances in machine learning and artificial intelligence, means that we have the opportunity to harness its power. But if we aren’t careful, these advances will lead to greater efficiency at the expense of interoperability–a loss that could have dire consequences for society as a whole.
About the Author
