David More wrote: > Hi Tim, > > I think the bureaucracy is all but inevitable given the fact that it is > American, > currently proprietary, IP that is involved and the SDO does not yet exist.
Not really. In order to obtain access to SNOMED-CT in the US, all that you need to do is fill in a brief form downloadable from the National Library of Medicine web site for access to UMLS (which contain SNOMED-CT and a lot more), sign it and fax it back to them. It contains the usage agreement, which says that you can use it freely for any purpose in the US, but can't send copies offshore, or if you are not in the US, that you can use it only for study or research purposes and not in commercial applications which are made available to others. A few days after faxing back the form, you will receive by email a username for an FTP site from which you can download the files, without fuss. Simple. I don't see why it need be any more difficult than that. The same applies to organisations wishing to re-distribute SNOMED-CT embedded in their software, or to use it as part of a commercial service: just sign the appropriate license agreement (which basically says 'Don't distribute it outside US') and that's it. By contrast, I understand that there are multiple, tedious application hurdles to jump through and multiple bureaucratic agencies which take weeks or months to issue approvals before one can get access to the UK-licensed version of SNOMED-CT for use in Pommie Land. > Like you I am pleased Jon's work can now go ahead full bore. Yup, more power to Jon and other local researchers. Let's not just do the usual Aussie cargo cult thing and buy all our SNOMED-CT related IT from US firms like Health Language Inc (http://www.healthlanguage.com/) - let's have a serious go at developing our own technology (and perhaps even export it (or services related to it), even though it isn't dug out of the ground - see http://www.sasi.group.shef.ac.uk/worldmapper/display.php?selected=61 - yeah, it's a fab web site full of fascinating cartographs). Tim C > On Sat, 08 Jul 2006 11:10:31 +1000, Tim Churches wrote: >> Peter MacIsaac (MacIsaac Informatics) wrote: >>> It is with great pleasure that I draw your attention to a NEHTA press >>> release >>> >>> “7 July 2006: NEHTA signs up for free distribution of global health >>> language in > Australia. >>> NEHTA today announced that it has recently signed an agreement with SNOMED > International that enables the free use of SNOMED Clinical Terms® in Australia >>> from July 1 2006.” >>> >>> Further information at: >>> http://www.nehta.gov.au/content/view/136/144/ >>> >> This is good news indeed. However, I sincerely hope that NEHTA make the >> necessary > SNOMED-CT distribution files readily available to everyone with a minimum >> of bureaucratic fuss. The above-referenced press release includes this >> instruction: >> >> "Organisations who are interested in gaining free access to SNOMED CT for >> use in > Australia should register their interest with NEHTA by emailing >> [EMAIL PROTECTED] " >> >> I would encourage all members of this list to send an email to the above >> NEHTA address > expressing their interest, even if that interest extends no further >> than casually browsing through it to see what's there. >> >> On that note, I imagine that it will now be possible for the >> proof-of-concept Web-based > free-text-to-SNOMED-CT-concept processing facility built by Jon >> Patrick's students at Sydney Uni can now be modified to return the actual >> SNOMED-CT > concept ID (and associated descriptions) to those providing test data. >> That will allow more informed feedback to be able to be provided by test >> users. >> >> Another suggestion for Jon's students: a Web-based SNOMED-CT browser/search >> facility, > perhaps using some nifty Web 2.0/AJAX methods to provide good >> interactivity, would be a boon, and likely to be very popular both here in >> Oz and around > the world. At the moment, most SNOMED-CT browsing is done using a >> free (but not open source) Visual Basic GUI application called CLUE (see >> http://www.clininfo.co.uk/clue5/index.htm ), which is adequate but not >> great, and needs > to be installed, along with the underlying SNOMED-CT data files, on >> every (Windows-only) computer on which you need to use it. So Twentieth >> Century... >> >> A SNOMED-CT look-up facility as a Web service would probably be popular too, >> especially > if it were licensed under an open source license which permitted >> integration with both open source and closed source clinical applications >> (i.e. Mozilla > or BSD licenced, rather than GPLed). There is first-mover advantage >> to be had here, as suddenly a brand new sub-market in SNOMED-CT-related >> health IT > software has opened up overnight in Oz (and by extension in other parts of >> the world using or planning to use SNOMED-CT). >> >> Tim C >> >> _______________________________________________ >> Gpcg_talk mailing list >> [email protected] >> http://ozdocit.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/gpcg_talk >> >> __________ NOD32 1.1650 (20060707) Information __________ >> >> This message was checked by NOD32 antivirus system. >> http://www.eset.com > _______________________________________________ Gpcg_talk mailing list [email protected] http://ozdocit.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/gpcg_talk
