Standards matter.

The question is what stack of standards matter.
Is it enough to read data from one database and send it in a message to an other database? Answer: No.
Do we expect that data inside systems, but most certainly outside systems is defined using standards so re-use becomes a possibility? Answer: Yes.
Do we expect that the standardized data allows full semantic interoperability between IT-systems? Answer: yes.
Are there standards (CEN/ISO, W3C) that play an important role? Answer: Yes.
Are they used inside IT systems, between IT-systems, in Regional/National projects? Answer No.

Why?
Health It-solutions need to be engineered by software engineers instead of politicians, instead of healthcare providers.
It is time for engineering working solutions.
Why is the present health-IT industry not adopting these new necessary standards?
Answer:
-The clients do not ask for it.
-The old technologies are profitable enough, the new ones are simples to deploy and generate less incomes.
- Existing products have a very long product lifecycle (15-20 years).
- In procurement processes only big industries and not the innovative IT-companies that help produce and deploy these standards are singled out. It is very difficult for them to pass the initial qualifications.

What must be done to speed-up all this?
Invest in a European Semantic Interoperability Infrastructure.
Educate: politicians, hospitals, healthcare providers and the IT-industry.
Change the Procurement rules. Support SME’s.
And do it much faster and more intense than the EU was able until now.

Gerard Freriks
Active in EuroRec, CIMI, CEN/ISO standardisation, and various EU projects, ERS. B.V.

I thinkg we shold change perspective and focus on loose mapping and multiple mapping to allow the need to drive the processes instead of rigorous standrds processes.

As part of the resolution process should be the possibility of adding thirdparty assertions as to the "quality of semantics".

A system can as an input ASk for data linked to an onthology - crossborder data can then be associated needs-driven through mapping either between onthologies (indreict) or mapping system data to onthologies (direct) and providing assertions to the mapping.

Standards matters because most Infrasrtucture standards are about enforcing some negative kartel or gatekeeper structure structure

E.g. you cannot pay securely, you cannot have a secure mobile phone, eIdentificaiton only dis-empower citizen.

Interoperability is important and that require standards, but the standardisation process today have serious problems.

instead of defining a solution, standards should specify modeldriven resolution - i.e. how to parameterize all the possible solutions and how to resolve between these.

In the EU IP Project Hydra we managed to make all ambient devices interoperabile within the same modl-driven structure. However we located lots of blocking mechanisms such as no open radio-based communication standard and lack of open security standards.

Government or other parties have a vital role to play here as Wolves dont standardise in the interest of the Deer.