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Semantic Infrastructure Metadata Specialist User Story 2:
Managing semantic relationships in order to link and share data

Domain Descriptions

A metadata specialist has been tasked with cross-linking the hospital system and the clinical systems in her organization. Fortunately, both systems have been modeled with well defined metadata, which has been registered in a metadata repository. Unfortunately, the information models used by the systems are not harmonized, so data cannot easily be integrated. Therefore, the metadata specialist defines semantic relationships between the elements that she knows are related, though they do not share the exact same common data elements. For example, she semantically links Patient Last Name in the hospital system to Subject Surname in the clinical system. Once all of the appropriate relationships are made, clinicians are able to navigate between the system seamlessly. Furthermore, the antiquated data warehouse where all of this information is painstakingly transformed and poorly linked can be retired, and quality of care queries can now be carried out using semantic relationships.

Technical Description

Semantic relationship and rules between data elements can be formed, stored, and shared in the metadata repository. Furthermore, these relationships can be reasoned on using a inference engines and query systems.

Cross Reference - ICR IRWG Requirements

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