Box 3.

The definition and dimensions of interoperability.

Interoperability refers to the ability of two or more systems or components to exchange information and to use the information that has been exchanged.46 It can be construed as a wicked problem as it can be defined in multiple dimensions:47,48 Technical interoperability: the basic data exchange capabilities between systems. Structural or syntactic interoperability: two or more systems have data formats that are compatible. Semantic interoperability: two or more systems use a shared language and terminology and can therefore understand, process, and interpret each other's data. Organisational interoperability: the legal, political, and organisational facilitators of data exchange of two or more systems are compatible.