sif (service-oriented interoperability framework): from there to here

Douglas Russell and Mark Slaymaker ( Oxford University )

sif (for service-oriented interoperability framework) is a platform for the secure sharing and aggregation of data across organisational boundaries. The framework has been developed within the DTI-funded GIMI (Generic Infrastructure for Medical Informatics) project and currently supports four different applications, all of which are drawn from the healthcare domain. sif is based on Java and web services. A clear focus on portability and interoperability issues coupled with a philosophy based on data-agnosticism has resulted in a relatively lightweight system that has low-entry requirements for data owners---sif can currently expose any relational database---and application developers---who interact with data sources via a simple API. The talk will be in two parts: on 18th January, Andrew Simpson and David Power will discuss the motivation for, and the design of, sif. On 25th January, Douglas Russell and Mark Slaymaker will discuss the current release of sif as well as some of its applications.