Veterinary Terminology & Standards - Va Md College of Veterinary Medicine - Va Tech
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Our Mission

The mission of Veterinary Terminology and Standards (VTS) is to improve the quality, interoperability, and usability of animal health data by developing, governing, and supporting standardized veterinary terminology and data exchange resources.

Scope of Work

VTS focuses on the development and application of terminology and structural resources that enable consistent representation and exchange of animal health information across laboratory, regulatory, clinical, and research systems. Our scope of work includes:

  • Development and governance of veterinary terminology content, including the Veterinary Extension of SNOMED CT (VetSCT)
  • Alignment of veterinary terminology with clinical, laboratory, and research data models
  • Support for structured data capture and messaging in veterinary laboratory and regulatory workflows
  • Collaboration with national and international partners to address gaps in veterinary data standards
  • Application of terminology standards to support surveillance, outbreak response, and animal health research

What Is Outside Our Scope

To ensure clarity and appropriate use of our resources, several activities fall outside the scope of VTS. These include:

  • Provision of clinical or diagnostic services
  • Operation or hosting of production software systems outside VTS-managed services
  • Selection, endorsement, or implementation of commercial software products
  • Regulatory decision-making or enforcement activities
  • Project-specific customization beyond approved collaborations or funded work

Guiding Principles

The work of VTS is guided by a commitment to transparency, sustainability, and community engagement. We prioritize alignment with established national and international standards, long-term maintainability of terminology resources, and collaboration with stakeholders across animal health domains.

Our approach emphasizes practical solutions that reflect real-world workflows while supporting broader goals in interoperability, surveillance, and data reuse.

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