Domain information Models (DIMs) provide a view of an entire domain, such as clinical research, healthcare or nursing. DIMs are commonly constructed using UML (Unified Modeling Language) class diagrams to represent the semantics of an entire domain using language that subject matter experts understand. These models show the concepts such as people, places and activities of a domain, as well as how each of these concepts relate to one another.
Applications, programming interfaces, enterprise applications and other electronic systems can be developed using a DIM. Even though those systems may be implemented using different programming languages, all systems using a DIM share the same semantics. Common semantics provide a critical foundation for software interoperability and meaningful data exchange. Software and systems created using BRIDG have a shared meaning “baked in,” supporting interoperability among such disparate systems.
No usable software system would implement all objects within BRIDG; the model is simply too large. That completeness of coverage, however, allows for end users to review BRIDG’s universe of semantics and select specific assets that are required for implementing a specific software solution. Because BRIDG uses concepts and examples that make sense to domain experts, these experts can work closely with software developers and BRIDG analysts to review the DIM and select objects appropriate to their project.
Where no objects within BRIDG cover the necessary semantics of a new project, the end users may work with BRIDG analysts to identify these gaps, provide use cases to describe them and then fill these gaps with new semantics within BRIDG. The BRIDG-based information model can then be utilized by the development team to develop a logical model. Logical models from existing projects can also be informed by a DIM to improve interoperability. A physical model can be developed from a logical model, and it includes details specific to system, such as programming language-specific data types, database tables, access constraints, etc. All of such specific implementations would be readily traced back to the reference standard semantics within BRIDG.