MEDFLOSS Database and Reuse of Medical Open Source Software Components

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• Introduction:
  • Healtcare requirements are similar all over the world. Many softwares packages are already freely available as Open Source and presented in the MEDFLOSS database. Unfortunately many of these packages provide similar functionalities, but just in a little different and incompatible ways.
• Objectives:
  • Promotion of the reuse of software components. Open Source projects should help each others. Indeed the potential benefits of the Open Source philosophy is mainly based on know-how exchanges and on sharing development efforts.
• Approaches:
  • Maintenance:
    • Updates about the content of MEDFLOSS are very welcome. New Open Source projects should be added.
  • Further developments:
    • Global perspective:
      • While trying to install large software "packages" in any new site remains difficult, the approach is here to share at least a selection of smaller "software components" when useful between some home made specific components.
    • Healthcare aspects:
      • Inventory of the most common requirements. Review and discussion on Considered Specifications for Software Components.
      • Compatibility issues with the most usual data definition standards.
    • Technical aspects:
      • Review of integration architecture available in the public domain and exploration of the potential advantages of new technologies.
      • Exploration of new technologies as non-blocking and event-based programming.
• Call for partners:
  • Contributing to the maintenance of MEDFLOSS and seeking solutions howto integrate medical software components. Contact: Thomas Karopka and Etienne Saliez.