Did you know that according to a survey by the Data Governance Institute, businesses lose an estimated $12.8 million every year due to poor interoperability? This staggering figure highlights the critical importance of interoperability in today’s interconnected world. 

For charities working with communities, “interoperability” may seem complex. In simple terms, interoperability refers to the ability of different organisations’ IT systems, applications and databases to share and use information readily. When technology can “talk” to other platforms, vital data and resources can easily be accessed by those who need them. 

We will explain what interoperability means, why ensuring systems are interoperable is significant for NGOs, and how doing so helps improve coordination between humanitarian groups.

What Is Interoperability? Understanding the Interoperability Meaning

Interoperability describes the effort to optimise the response to the needs of affected people by making systems that are very different work better together in a predictable way, based on their respective comparative advantage, without co-opting them and while accommodating different values.

According to the OCHA report, interoperability in humanitarian action focuses on connecting and enabling different responders like national governments, local actors, international organisations, military forces and private sector groups to work together effectively from preparedness through emergency response and recovery. 

This allows responders to leverage each other’s strengths and collectively better meet the needs of crisis-affected populations by overcoming fragmentation and inefficiencies between varied but complementary response systems.

The Significance of Interoperability for NGOs

Interoperability is enormously significant for non-profits and NGOs. With operations often spanning multiple locations and partners, these organisations rely heavily on information sharing between systems to coordinate emergency responses, monitor aid delivery, and report on outcomes efficiently.

Research shows a lack of interoperability between charity technologies can lead to duplicative work, siloed data that isn’t accessible to all who need it, and increased costs annually for some mid-sized NGOs due to manually re-entering shared information into separate databases. A study found that NGOs prioritising interoperable technologies were 55% more effective in delivering aid and services.

Interoperable systems allow disaster relief charities to access a common operating picture from anywhere during crises. They enable critical real-time data exchanges that support evidence-based decision-making.

Also, interoperability empowers NGOs to report on impact collectively and minimises disruption when new partners join relief efforts. Standards-based sharing of resources helps charities maximise every donation towards serving communities.

Also Read: Why ERP System Is Important for NGOs?

The Different Levels of Interoperability

Ensuring true interoperability is more complex than connecting two systems. There are varying degrees to which technologies can interact and exchange information seamlessly. The different levels of interoperability include:

Foundational Interoperability: 

This level provides the ability to exchange raw data. Here, systems can send and receive data but not interpret it. Think of it as delivering a letter to the right address. The recipient gets the message but needs further steps to understand its content. For NGOs, this means being able to receive data across different platforms. It’s the first step towards streamlined operations.

Structural Interoperability: 

The format and structure of data exchange are defined at this stage. It’s akin to agreeing on a common language for communication. This level ensures that the data exchanged between systems is received and organised in a way that allows for its use in different systems. For NGOs, structural interoperability enables the automation of processes, reducing manual data entry and errors.

Semantic Interoperability:

This is the pinnacle of interoperability. It allows for the mutual understanding of the exchanged information. Systems can interpret and act on the data received. It’s like having a conversation where both parties speak the same language fluently. For NGOs, semantic interoperability means data from different sources can be fully integrated and leveraged for insights, enabling better decision-making and more impactful interventions.

Overcoming Challenges to Achieve Interoperability

Achieving true interoperability is a complex process that requires planning and coordination between all involved parties. Key issues NGOs may face include:

Diverse Technologies: 

Many NGOs use a mixture of old and new technologies. Bridging this gap requires innovative integration solutions. Tailored middleware can serve as a bridge, ensuring smooth communication between disparate systems. 

Data Standards Variability: 

Different organisations often use varying data standards. Adopting universal data exchange formats, like XML or JSON, can mitigate this issue. It enables clearer communication paths between systems. 

Limited Resources: 

NGOs may need more funds for significant IT upgrades. Leveraging open-source interoperability frameworks can offer a cost-effective alternative. These solutions provide robust features without the hefty price tag. 

Skill Gaps: 

A common hurdle is the need for more technical expertise. Investing in training for staff or collaborating with tech volunteers enhances an organisation’s ability to manage and implement interoperable systems.

Security Concerns: 

They are protecting sensitive information while sharing data is paramount. Strong encryption methods and secure data exchange protocols ensure data integrity and confidentiality across systems.

Regulatory Compliance: 

Adhering to data protection regulations is essential. Ensuring systems are designed with compliance in mind from the outset avoids potential legal pitfalls. Regular audits and updates can help maintain compliance as laws evolve. 

Change Resistance: 

The shift to interoperable systems may meet organisational resistance. Cultivating a culture of innovation and demonstrating the tangible benefits of interoperability can encourage buy-in from all stakeholders.

Also Read: Challenges of Using Technology for Humanitarian Aid

Steps to Implement Interoperability in Your NGO

Implementing interoperability within an NGO is challenging, yet the rewards for increased efficiency, data utility, and collaborative potential are immense. Here are key steps to guide NGOs towards achieving interoperability: 

Assess Your Current Systems: 

The first step is to evaluate your IT infrastructure and identify all systems used across the organisation. This includes auditing all applications, databases, servers and data collection tools. 

The assessment should document what each system manages from a data perspective to define where interoperability can help by allowing new information flows between previously isolated resources.

Establish Clear Objectives: 

With an understanding of current capabilities from the systems assessment, interoperability goals and success metrics can now be established. 

Leadership must clarify exactly what problems will be solved, how workflows will improve and what benefits staff and communities served are expected to gain. 

Quantifying objectives helps ensure interoperability efforts remain on track to fulfil their intended purpose.

Develop an Interoperability Framework: 

An interoperability framework provides the structure and guidance needed. It should define the technical, semantic and organisational standards to be adopted. 

The framework also outlines governance for ongoing management and identifies pilot programs where new connectivity can be tested. Developing this framework allows interoperability to be intentionally designed and implemented in an organised, consistent manner across the NGO.

Invest in Training: 

Pay attention to the importance of training. Staff must be prepared for new processes and tools enabled by interoperability. 

Dedicate resources to help all employees understand changing responsibilities, workflows, security practices and how interfaces between systems function. 

Ongoing training ensures proper utilisation of interoperability investments and its benefits are fully realised. Refresher sessions also maintain competency over time.

Pilot Projects: 

Begin implementing interoperability slowly through controlled pilots rather than broad organisational changes—Target smaller, manageable use cases to test connectors and smooth out complications. 

Lessons learned from piloting disconnected solutions can be applied when expanding the interoperability scope. Pilots also provide metrics to gauge effectiveness for refining standards and gaining support for further rollouts.

Partnerships and Collaboration: 

Interoperability requires participation across boundaries. Seek out counterpart organisations working in similar domains and establish collaborative problem-solving partnerships. 

By coordinating standards choices and sharing resources, the combined efforts will be stronger than individual pursuits in isolation. 

Partnerships foster learning networks and help surmount challenges that any one group encounters through cooperative discussion and support.

Interoperability Standards  – You Need to Know

For systems and organisations to exchange information seamlessly, common rules and specifications must be agreed upon. The following highlights some key standards essential for enabling interoperability.

Here are the key interoperability standards NGOs should be aware of when working to improve connectivity between systems: 

Vocabulary Standards

Vocabulary standards define common terms, definitions and taxonomies to ensure different systems ascribe the same meaning to data elements. They facilitate consistent interpretation of information exchanged between parties by establishing controlled, universally recognised vocabularies for naming and classifying data. This promotes understanding across organisational boundaries.

Content Standards

Content standards specify normative ways that information should be structured, formatted and encoded to enable uniform capture, storage and presentation of data types. They provide a blueprint for organising content into systematic, machine-readable designs, allowing otherwise incompatible systems to comprehend the nature and relationships within shared information.

Transport Standards

Transport standards govern the mechanisms and protocols by which digital content is transmitted between organisations over technical infrastructure. They define the common lingua franca for packaging and routing information via agreed channels. Adhering to transport standards ensures interoperability at the technical layer by regulating inter-system connectivity and message exchange.

Privacy and Security Standards

Privacy and security standards mandate how sensitive data must be safeguarded during exchange to protect individuals and organisations. They establish industry best practices for authentication, authorisation, encryption and non-repudiation to prevent breaches while enabling trusted communication. Adherence reassures all parties that proper controls protect information integrity and confidentiality.

Identifier Standards

Identifier standards establish persistent, unique codes for reliably and unambiguously tracking entities in a digital context. They provide guidelines for applying standardised Global Unique Identifiers (GUIDs) to systems, organisations, locations, or other referable concepts across distributed environments. Consistent identifiers are crucial to linking related data across systems with confidence.

Benefits of Interoperability

Significant advantages can be realised when multiple entities can effectively share information through standardised systems and processes. Some key benefits of interoperability include:

Increased Productivity

When organisations can seamlessly share data through interoperable systems and applications, it removes the need to spend valuable time on repetitive manual work like copying or retyping information between different software. Automated workflows enabled by interoperability save effort and allow staff to focus on higher-priority strategic work.

Reduced Costs

Interoperability lowers organisational expenses by facilitating the reuse of existing systems and preventing expensive duplication of data entry, hosting, and maintenance of separate repositories. Integrated systems avoid waste from fragmented information silos and allow costs to be distributed across partnerships, granting greater access to resources for all participating entities.

Reduced Errors

Errors from accidental or inconsistent data entry are significantly decreased when information only needs to be captured once and shared seamlessly between interoperable applications. Automatic synchronisation helps ensure accurate, up-to-date information across all relevant systems by minimising manual handling and redundant re-keying of details that commonly lead to the introduction of defects. Streamlined, error-checked workflows improve quality.

Better Data Protection

When multiple organisations can securely exchange standardised digital information through interoperable systems, it facilitates coordinated backup, access controls and disaster recovery. Centralised yet distributed data is less vulnerable if properly protected, as no single point of failure exists. All parties ‘ adherence to common security and privacy standards strengthens the resilience of sensitive information.

Improved Reasoning Abilities 

An AID with access to interoperable knowledge graphs and data from multiple domains can perform commonsense reasoning and draw connections between different topics better than isolated systems. This leads to more comprehensive and nuanced responses.

Avoiding Repetitive Responses 

An interoperable AID wastes less time restating points by detecting when the same or similar questions have been responded to before. It can acknowledge previous relevant responses and discussions to build on existing knowledge without duplication.

Enhanced Learning Through Aggregation of Data 

Larger volumes and varieties of standardised data accessible to AID systems through interoperability provide more examples for machine learning models to analyse. This continual learning from dispersed sources helps systems generalise and avoid narrow conceptions.

Also Read: How Technology Helps in Increasing Humanitarian Aid?

Frequently Asked Questions

What Is Organisational Interoperability?

Organisational interoperability means groups within a company can share information and work together well. They do this using coordinated plans and compatible computer systems.

What Is the Purpose of Interoperability?

The purpose of interoperability is to let people, organisations, systems and apps share information easily and effectively. They do this using standard ways of talking to each other and formats for data.

What Is an Interoperable Application?

An interoperable app is software made to agreed-on standards. These standards let it understand and trade data with other apps from different makers.

What Is an Example of Interoperability?

One example is doctors being able to access patient records on computers from any clinic. They can do this securely through a shared database. It works no matter which electronic health record system their clinic uses.

Conclusion

Being able to share information between computer systems and programs is really useful. It helps organisations work better together to help people. 

Everyone benefits when things like medical records and donations can be exchanged easily. That’s why interoperability is important. Whether charities provide aid or hospitals care for patients, understanding each other makes things smoother. 

It saves time and helps people get the support they need faster. That’s why groups should strive to cooperate through interoperable technology.