Enabling Programmable Self with HealthVault

Interfacing with HealthVault

We touched on the HealthVault APIs and interface; these interfaces are usually combined in multiple ways to create integration architectures with HealthVault. This section discusses high-level options for integrating applications and devices with HealthVault. This discussion should be useful for understanding different architectural patterns available for interfacing devices and applications with HealthVault.

Device Connectivity

As of this writing, more than 80 types of devices connect with HealthVault. These devices range from pedometers and weighing scales to blood pressure meters and pulse oximeters. Figure 3-6 shows the various interfaces available for a device to connect with HealthVault.

Figure 3-6. Interfaces for device integration with HealthVault

Currently, a large number of devices interface with HealthVault through HealthVault’s Windows client utility, called HealthVault Connection Center. HealthVault Connection Center enables device integration using the Windows Portable Devices (WPD) standard.

If a device already has a Windows device driver, the appropriate data can be communicated to HealthVault using the WPD standard. The HealthVault team has a device development kit (DDK) that can be used for this integration, but its use lies outside the scope of this book.

When there are no WPD-supported elements for a device, it can still integrate with HealthVault ...