interoperable

Interoperable is an adjective describing systems, components, or organizations that can work together by exchanging information and using it meaningfully. In information technology, interoperability means that distinct systems can communicate, interpret, and act on the data they share without custom adapters.

Interoperability is often described in three levels: technical interoperability refers to the ability to connect and transmit data using common protocols and formats; semantic interoperability ensures a shared understanding of the meaning of exchanged data through standardized vocabularies and data models; and organizational interoperability covers aligned policies, governance, and workflows that enable cooperation across entities.

Standards and approaches include open standards, APIs, and data formats such as JSON and XML, as well as standardized medical data formats like FHIR. Interoperability relies on common transport protocols, semantic ontologies, and conformance testing to verify that components meet agreed interfaces and behaviors.

Applications span many sectors. In healthcare, interoperable systems enable patients’ records to move between providers; in finance, standardized messages such as ISO 20022 support cross-border payments; in information technology, REST and SOAP web services facilitate data exchange.

Benefits include increased efficiency, reduced data silos, improved data quality, and faster decision making. Challenges include fragmentation of standards, update cycles, security and privacy considerations, governance and liability, and the cost of implementing and maintaining interoperable interfaces.

Examples of successful interoperability efforts include health-care data interoperability with FHIR; financial messaging standards like ISO 20022; and open web APIs that allow third-party developers to access services.