HL7 and Sparx Systems Announce 2014 Tooling Challenge

Health Level Seven International (HL7), the global authority for interoperability in HIT with members in 55 countries, and Sparx Systems, a vendor of modeling tools based on open standards, recently announced the second annual tooling challenge. Developers are invited to produce a design specification for a tool that can be used to create Reference Information Model (RIM)-derived information models. This challenge will require defining an updated HL7-UML profile for HL7’s Model Interchange Format (MIF) static models using Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect for a chance to win $4,000.

The 2014 tooling challenge, the second in a series of annual challenges sponsored by Sparx Systems, was kicked off at the HL7 January Working Group Meeting in San Antonio, Texas. The contest is open to the public; both HL7 members and nonmembers are encouraged to participate. Interested parties should declare their intent to participate by May 2, 2014, and submissions must be submitted by July 1, 2014. Entries will be evaluated by a panel of judges and the winner will be announced at the 28th Annual Plenary and Working Group Meeting on September 16, 2014, in Chicago, Illinois.

“The tooling challenge reinforces our commitment to providing solutions that will advance the implementation of HL7 standards,” says HL7 CEO Charles Jaffe. “This year’s challenge focuses on the creation of a new HL7 tool, based on a generic UML modeler, that will be easier to use and simpler to maintain. Our vision is to create a tool that is platform-agnostic and facilitates real-world implementation."

To qualify for the prize, submitters must include within the design specification, the following capabilities. The specified solution:

• must enable the resulting tool to accept a model expressed in MIF, allow modifications thereto, and to express the result in MIF
• If required, the design may propose changes or extensions to the HL7 Model Interchange Format (MIF) on which this effort is based
• The Profile might be generated by transforming the HL7 RIM, expressed in MIF
• must accommodate replacement of the HL7 RMIM designer in Visio (see documentation on HL7 Wiki.)
• must include a functional decomposition of the capabilities as part of the design specification
• must describe development of an attribute selection and constraint dialog like that used in the HL7 RMIM Designer and in the SMD tool
• must show how fixed property values from the RIM (like "isDocumentCharacteristic") would be encoded in the updated profile
• must include an updated UML profile that can be applied to Enterprise Architect (EA) such that EA can produce class models that represent the semantics described in the UML profile

“This form of collaboration with HL7 is very satisfying,” says Ken Harkin, business development manager for Sparx Systems. “It delivers value to many stakeholders across the global health industry while identifying and rewarding the talent and skill of challenge participants.”

For more information on the challenge, go to the HL7 Tooling Challenge webpage.

For information about Sparx Systems Academic Licensing Program visit www.sparxsystems.com/solutions/academic.html

Source: Health Level Seven International