OntoVistA

This is the main page for the OntoVistA project. The project is described at http://ontovista.blogspot.com if you want more information about it.

To get this started, here are some major branches to build the next few days:

General Goals and Desires

OntoVistA Basic Goal - represent VistA in a rigorous standard ontology structure

Method goals - user interaction tools Solicit domain expert interactions

Next steps - VistA variants

IHS RPMS ontology layer - a separate layer, common nodes connect to VA layer CHCS ? layer Washington State Hospitals layer - adds state psych related elements ?Wa Corrections

Big next steps - non-VistA healthcare domains

?FreeEMR? - open source EMR system ?UCDavis VMTH?? - veterinary system? Epic or some other proprietary system? - maybe collaborate with NIH? Layers which represent non-provider data systems - SSA, CDC, etc.

Resources from elsewhere

Existing Ontology projects WordNet Cyc SUMO etc...

Existing User Interfaces and Tools M2Web ... ESI-objects, other relevant M tools...

Existing ontology tools and languages SUO-Kif OWL CycL

Project Participants

System and interface developers Dave Whitten Walt Biggs

Project Administration and Collaboration Propulsion ?Marty Mendelson - Washington state Arden Forrey - ASTM, AACC, etc.

Domain Experts VistA experts Health Informatics Standards Developers Lexicon Experts Messaging Standard Experts Health Science and Technology Specialty Experts

Specific Task areas

form of the knowledge base we are filling

relationships with existing structures (SUMO, etc.)

user interation systems and tools tools to identify VistA data elements and their relationships in situ (this tool is the main ontology generator) tools to visualize the onotology from useful perspectives tools to enter ontological and other data into the knowledge base tools to review the knowledge base, click Agree for each item, or Correct it   tools to illustrate divergences between real and ideal structurings for example to extrapolate Agent Orange to general environmental stressors with associated institutional programs

domain expert involvement start with basic VistA architecture solicit review by experts in the various packages broader expert participation...