armonización

Armonización is a term used in Spanish to denote the act of making elements harmonious or in agreement. It appears in music, law, policy and information systems, among other fields. The word derives from Greek harmonía, meaning 'concord' or 'agreement'.

In music, armonización is the process of enriching a melody with chords and a harmonic structure. It involves selecting chords that support the melody, voice leading, rhythm, and style. Historically, it ranges from common-practice tonal harmony to contemporary approaches, and it is central to arrangement and performance.

In regulatory and standards contexts, armonización refers to aligning laws, regulations, and standards across jurisdictions or organizations. The goal is interoperability and reduced barriers to trade and cooperation. Examples include the harmonization of product safety directives within the European Union and the adoption of international standards produced by ISO and IEC; in many sectors, tax and accounting rules are also harmonized to facilitate cross-border activity.

In information management and data science, armonización describes data harmonization: the process of mapping different data schemas and definitions into a common representation to enable integration, analysis, and sharing. This work often involves standardizing terminologies, formats, and units, as well as resolving semantic discrepancies.