Technical Session on Compatibility

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Technical Session on Compatibility

• George A. Komatsoulis, Ph.D.
• Director, Quality Assurance and Compliance
• NCICB

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Interoperability
Courtesy Charlie Mead

• ability of a system to access and use the parts
  or equipment of another system

Semanticinteroperability
Syntacticinteroperability
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caBIGTM Compatibility Guidelines

• The caBIGTM compatibility guidelines are designed
  to insure that systems designed in a Federated
  environment are still interoperable on the
  caBIGTM Grid, both syntactically and semantically
• Since achieving interoperability is a process,
  caBIGTM recognizes four levels of compatibility,
  starting from Legacy (not interoperable) through
  Bronze, Silver and Gold (fully interoperable)
• caBIGTM compatibility is all about interfaces
  rather than the scientific content of the system
• The analogy is to a city
• In cities architects are free to design buildings
  that perform myriad functions and that take many
  distinct forms
• Nevertheless, all buildings in the city are
  required to conform to certain specifications in
  order to receive electricity, water, steam, mail,
  etc.

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Bronze Compatibility Certification

• Projects that are not funded by caBIGTM can
  participate in the Bronze Compatibility
  Certification Program.
• The Bronze Certification Program is a verified
  self test. Developers submit artifacts
  demonstrating compliance with the compatibility
  guidelines and the documentation is reviewed by
  the NCICB.
• If the documentation demonstrates that a product
  meets the requirements of the compatibility
  guidelines, the NCI will grant a license to
  utilize the caBIGTM trademark and the product can
  be advertised as caBIGTM Bronze Compatible.

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Answers to some Frequently Asked Questions

• What kind of products are eligible for caBIGTM
  Bronze Compliance Certification?
• Any software product from commercial or
  non-commercial sources are eligible for the
  caBIGTM Bronze Compliance Certification Program
• Can a non-Open Source Product be certified as
  caBIGTM Bronze Compatible?
• Yes. There is no requirement that products be
  open source.
• Do I need to make my API, schema, or other system
  design information public?
• No. Although the NCICB may need some of this
  information to determine compatibility, it is not
  necessary to make this information public.

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FAQs Continued

• Are there any fees associated with caBIGTM Bronze
  Compatibility Certification?
• No. There is no fee for this certification
• Is there a process for Silver or Gold
  Certification?
• Not at this time. The NCICB and the caBIGTM
  program are committed to engaging the commercial
  sector and are currently investigating the
  feasibility of providing more advanced
  certifications.

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Overview of the Bronze Process
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Interface Integration

• Requirement
• Programmatic access to data from an external
  resource is possible.
• Examples of satisfactory interfaces
• RDBMS systems with SQL interfaces
• Systems with Application Programmer Interfaces
• Systems with Web Services Interfaces
• Required Artifacts
• Documentation of the interface itself.
• Documentation of any file or message formats that
  are imported/exported by the system.
• Description of the usage of the interface,
  including a session print-out of an example usage
  and the source code of the software that was run
  to generate the example print-out.

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Vocabularies/Terminologies and Ontologies

• Requirement
• Use of publicly accessible controlled
  vocabularies as well as local terminologies.
• Terminologies must include definitions of terms
  that meet caBIGTM VCDE workspace guidelines
• Required Artifacts
• Description of the terminology sources that have
  been implemented, including a statement that they
  have been reviewed and found to meet the six
  required criteria described in the caBIGTM
  Compatibility Guidelines.
• Description of how and where controlled
  terminologies have been implemented in the system
  for the purpose of enhancing semantic
  interoperability.

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Vocabulary Definition Guidelines

• Good Definitions
• Are stated in the singular
• Describe what the concept is, not just what it is
  not
• Are stated as a descriptive phrase or sentence(s)
• Contain only commonly understood abbreviations
  that are themselves defined in the terminology
• Can be expressed without embedding definitions of
  other concepts (i.e. any other concepts that are
  required must also exist in the terminology)
• Must not involve circular reasoning (i.e. they do
  not use the term in its definition)

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Data Elements

• Requirements
• Data element descriptions are maintained with
  sufficient definitional depth to enable a subject
  matter expert to unambiguously interpret the
  contents of the resource without contacting the
  original investigator.
• Data elements are built using controlled
  terminology
• Metadata is stored and publicized in an
  electronic format that is separate from the
  resource that is being described
• Required Artifacts
• Statement about which controlled terminology
  sources were used to construct the data element
  descriptors
• Complete listing of the data element descriptors
  themselves. Can be provided either in a native
  electronic file format, or as an electronic
  export from a metadata management system, in
  which case the metadata management system itself
  and the mechanism for accessing it must also be
  described. The listing must provide a mapping
  between the data elements and the information
  model described below.

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Information Models

• Requirement
• Diagrammatic representation of the information
  model is available in electronic format.
• Examples of satisfactory Representations
• An XML Schema
• An Entity Relationship (EA) Diagram.
• Required Artifacts
• A diagrammatic information model in electronic
  format that describes the data and information
  handled by the product or system.

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How to Apply

• Send the completed package to
• Technology Transfer BranchNational Cancer
  Institute6120 Executive Blvd. Suite
  450Rockville, MD 20852Attn caBIGTM Bronze
  Certification Program
• The package should include
• The required artifacts
• A cover letter that includes a brief description
  of the functionality of the product.
• Name, address, telephone, FAX, and email address
  of the primary point of contact at the submitting
  organization.

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Acknowledgments

• NCICB
• Ken Buetow
• Peter Covitz
• Mary Jo Deering
• Leslie Derr
• Avinash Shanbhag
• NCI Technology Transfer Branch
• Wendy Patterson
• Booz Allen Hamilton
• Manisundarum Arumani
• Brian Davis
• Michael Keller

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Questions?