Developing Data Standards
We create formats and protocols for moving data between any two systems, or a community of vendors and many systems.
Description: If an agency wants to exchange something as simple as sharing a client’s date of birth, the task becomes incredibly complex. “01012010”, “01/01/2010”, “20100101T00:00Z” (ISO 8601), and “1262304000” (epoch), all represent the same date of birth. In order for the agencies to exchange this data, there has to be agreement on the common language (data format) used.
Benefits: Data standards are what allow different systems to efficiently exchange information. Data formats and communication protocols serve as a formal record or contract for the exchange, and as a template for other similar exchanges. The formats can often be validated, preventing some types of bad data to be exchanged.