Requirements-Code Translations

Code translations are essentially a collection of assertions about which codes from one code system might reasonably be substituted for codes from another code system. Translations are essential when working in an environment where data may not be captured in the code system in which it is eventually required for transmission or analysis.

Requirement	Translations need to be able to be maintained and published as collections.
Rationale	It's pretty unusual for translations to be made individually. Usually all codes or a subset of codes are translated from one code system into a second code system. Grouping translations together allows common use of metadata such as the purpose of the translations, who did them, etc.
MIF	mif-vocabulary-model.xsd/CodeTranslations

Requirement	Code translation collections may have a number of different types of annotations
Rationale	See rationales for individual annotations types
Implementation	Description Usage Constraint Usage Notes Requirements Design Comments Stability Remarks Appendix Other Annotation Open Issue Ballot Comment Change Request Deprecation Information

Requirement	Each mapping needs to be able to assert the 'quality' of the mapping.
Rationale	When comparing codes between code systems, it's unusual for two concepts to be exact matches. By examining the quality of a mapping, users of the mapping can be made aware of any issues they're likely to run into.
Methodology	BT: Broader Than - The first concept is at a more abstract level than the second concept. For example, Hepatitis is broader than Hepatitis A, and endocrine disease is broader than Diabetes Mellitus. Broader than is the opposite of the narrower than relationship. E: Exact - The two concepts have identical meaning. NT: Narrower Than - The first concept is at a more detailed level than the second concept. For example, Pennicillin G is narrower than Pennicillin, and vellus hair is narrower than hair. Narrower than is the opposite of broader than. NC: Not Comparable - The first concept cannot be mapped in any way to the second concept. For example Blue cannot be mapped to Orange.
MIF	mif-vocabulary-model.xsd/CodeTranslation/@quality

Requirement	Mappings need to be able to indicate which direction(s) translation is considered appropriate.
Rationale	When creating a mapping, the intention might be to map from code system A to B, from B to A or map in both directions. If the intention is not clear, then someone might translate using the mapping in the wrong direction which can be semantically inappropriate.
MIF	mif-vocabulary-model.xsd/CodeTranslation/@translatableDirection

Requirement	Code translations may have a number of different types of annotations
Rationale	See rationales for individual annotations types
Implementation	Design Comments Stability Remarks Other Annotation Open Issue Ballot Comment