# Specification Overview ## Introduction to OpenHIE OpenHIE is a global mission-driven community of practice dedicated to improving the health of the underserved through open and collaborative development and support of country driven, large scale health information sharing architectures. The OpenHIE community supports interoperability by creating a reusable architectural framework that introduces a service-oriented approach which maximally leverages health information standards, enables flexible implementation by country partners, and supports interchangeability of individual components. The following specification outlines the reusable architectural practices that constitute OpenHIE. However, the framework is intended to be constantly evolving as standards and implementer needs change over time. ## Specification Purpose The purpose of the specification release is to: * Provide an overview of the OpenHIE Architecture * Articulate the requirements for [OpenHIE components ](https://guides.ohie.org/arch-spec/openhie-component-specifications-1) * Articulate the [workflows (data exchanges) ](https://guides.ohie.org/arch-spec/introduction)that are currently recognized as data exchange patterns to follow * Provide a reference for implementers to use in their architecture and/or implementations ## Specification Process See the [GitBook Version Change Control Process](https://guides.ohie.org/arch-spec/readme/gitbook-version-change-control-process) for the OHIE Specification to better understand the process for which change requests go through. The process is expected to evolve in future years. See [How to Provide Input](https://guides.ohie.org/arch-spec/readme/how-to-provde-input) for directions on how to propose changes and make comments. **This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.**