hmis-api: Current Activities

[Steve Conners [PCNI]]

Hi, folks.

While the implementation itself is not vendor neutral, it was developed under an open source license with isolated data access code which should allow other developers to tweak only the database queries to get a functional API up and running. While putting this work together, the (fantastic) developer, Dan Schultz, found some areas of the API where we'd like to discuss changes with the other users. One of us will post those thoughts here shortly.

Traffic on this list has been dry for the last two years -- is anyone out there willing to share the status of their API projects? What challenges are you facing with your implementation of the API standard?  We have encountered some challenges implementing authorization consent -- COMPASS ROSE is built on explicit agency level data consent, complicating the logic of the API. While this is not a standards issue hmis-api interface issue, it will impact the adoptability of the standard if there are different authorization models.

On our project, Georgia's Department of Community Affairs worked through our latest iteration of OpenHMIS, (http://opentechstrategies.com/openhmis) developing an API implementation under an open source license with isolated data access code which should allow other developers to tweak only the database queries to get a functional API up and running. After working on the implementation, the (fantastic) developer, Dan Schultz, has a number of comments and suggestions regarding the API standard, which we will summarize and bring to this discussion group.

Also, NHSDC is not so far away. Is anyone planning on attending? Anyone interesting in attending an hmis-api meetup? I'd be happy to demo the work that OpenTech has done if anyone is interested, and I would be thrilled to see what others are doing (or planning to do) with the API.

Anything else we can talk about to further the expanded usage and refinement of vendor neutral HMIS API's?

Steve 

[Dan Schultz]

Aww thanks for the kind words Steve!

Once the implementation's documentation is a little more solidified we can have a more productive conversation I think!  I imagine someone can kick that conversation off later in August (I may be absorbed by the new baby at that point)

Best,

 - Dan

[Eric Jahn]

Steve, 

Yes, I'm all in for an Fall NHSDC pow wow to come to some further consensus with the other vendors on where API functionality should go for a next version.  Improved auth, improved convenience methods and search, user administration, reporting, etc. seem like good candidates.  Not that each vendor would be asked to implement each new method, but that those methods are there for them, if the need arises.  Who else is in? -Eric