Application of Digital Ecosystem Design Methodology Within the Health Domain

Abstract

We define a digital ecosystem (DES) as the dynamic and synergetic complex of digital communities consisting of interconnected, interrelated, and interdependent digital species situated in a digital environment that interact as a functional unit and are linked together through actions, information, and transaction flows. The design of DESs requires the integration of a number of different and complementary technologies, including agent-based and self-organizing systems, ontologies, swarm intelligence, ambient intelligence, data mining, genetic algorithms, etc. The integration of multiple technologies and the resulting synergetic effects contribute to the creation of highly complex, dynamic, and powerful systems. The application of DESs within different domains has the power to transform these domains by giving them a more intelligent and a more dynamic nature. In this paper, we illustrate how a DES design methodology can be used to systematically create a Digital Health Ecosystem (DHES). We address the key steps associated with the DES design and focus specifically on the use of the electronic health records within the DHES. The design methodology framework illustrated in this paper serves as a navigating tool during the design of DHESs.