Interoperability framework
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An interoperability framework is defined by all the policies, standards, rules and recommendations a network of actors has adopted in order to reach the highest possible level of interoperability. It also defines the operational rules on analysis, choice, acceptance and update of each of its elements Most European countries have adopted an interoperability framework.
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European interoperability frameworks
Australia
Germany
Denmark
Estonia
France
Hong Kong
The Netherlands
- CANOSS (Nederlandse Catalogus van Open Standaarden)
New Zealand
South Africa
- MIOS (Minimum InterOperability Standard for information system in goverment)
The United Kingdom
- e-GIF (e-Government Interoperability Framework)
Other initiatives
The World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), Geneva 2003, has laid down clear objectives concerning ICT-standards and has asked to “elaborate open, compatible, non-discriminating standards aimed at the demand and taking into account the needs of users and consumers”.
On 13 February 2006, the European Commission published its Communication on interoperability. The IDABC program of the European Commission is for its part elaborating a European interoperability plan. The European vision is also explained in a set of general recommendations, of which the First draft was published in November 2004.
In its recommendation number 2, the European Commission is giving priority to the use of open standards. Open standard means:
- The standard has been accepted and will be kept up to date by a non profit organisation, and its future development will be realised on the basis of a decision proces which is open to all concerned parties (consensus or majority rule, etc.).
- The standard was published and the document with the characteristics of the standard is for free or for a symbolic price available. Everyone should be able to copy, propagate and use this document for free or for a symbolic price.
- Intellectual property rights, i.e. possible patents, of the standard (or of parts of the standard) are irrevocably available without asking for any compensation.
The “Architecture guidelines” of the IDABC project offers a more profound analysis of the architectural means needed for European interoperability.
In Belgium the interoperability framework is determined by the cooperation of the different policy levels. The Belgian framework aims to include as much as possible the operations of European and of our main economic partners.
On the level of the federal government, the Council of Ministers approuved a position paper on the use of open standards and open specifications for the federal public services
