Skip to main content
Business Operations

Technical Architecture

  

The key purpose of the Technical Architecture (TA) unit is to act as a Design Authority which facilitates the strategic development of eHealth architecture, technology and operational capabilities in a standardised and aligned manner, conformant with both the Knowledge and Information Operating Model and eHealth Strategy.

The TA Function is currently in evolution and when mature will provide a design, support and validation service, based on International Standards and best practices. It will provide a consistent approach for defining, architecting and communicating the eHealth architectural viewpoints, technology components, and processes needed to deliver on our broad eHealth mandate. 

Areas of competency and support within the TA service include:

  • Business Architecture and Process Integration.

  • Information Strategy and Architecture.

  • Application Strategy and Architecture.

  • Technology Strategy and Architecture.

  • Information Governance and Security.

  • Sourcing and Partnership Strategy.

Key Benefits

  • The TA function will provide stakeholders with an increased understanding of our information technology (ICT) as it relates to the strategic eHealth planning and delivery process. It will provide a reference point and a consistent approach for defining and supporting the development of our national eHealth architecture. It will provide a means to leverage IT investments and avoid unnecessary duplication of infrastructure and major components.

  • Provide architectural views that help communicate the complexity of large eHealth systems and facilitate the management of our extensive and complex eHealth environments.

  • Provide Standardisation and focus on the strategic use of emerging technologies to better manage our information assets and consistently insert appropriate standards conformant technologies into our eHealth enterprise.

  • Improve consistency, accuracy, timeliness, integrity, quality, availability, access and sharing of our OoCIO managed information assets across the enterprise.

  • Support and link relevant business processes and provide a standardised business vocabulary.

  • Ensure the sharing of reusable components and interoperability among programs, systems and applications.

  • Lay the foundation for a national integrated Electronic Health Record (EHR).

Case Studies and Deliverables

Early deliverables currently completed derive primarily from the foundational work undertaken within the Integrated Services Framework (ISF) Project. Recent deliverables that are available for download include:

  

Other deliverables currently or planned in the Design Authority work programme include:

  • Defining the blueprint for the National Data Dictionary.

  • Defining the Delivery Model for national Terminology Services . 

  • Revision of the National Demographics Dataset.

  • TA Process Mapping through ISF Workstream-5.

  • Architecting the National Exchange and Contact Point (NCP) for EU Directive EU2011/24.

  • Defining Irish requirements for the European eHealth Identifier.

  • Defining and trialing the eGovernance Toolkit.

 

Technical Architecture