GVT – General Validation Tool

Building Customized Conformance Testing Tools

The General Validation Tool (GVT) is a hub that hosts the user-created conformance testing tools. Testing tool instances are created using the testing infrastructure and framework components, and the artifacts generated from IGAMT and TCAMT. GVT is one instance of the framework and is a hosting platform for public use. That is, all user created tools are hosted in GVT. NIST creates other framework instances for specific use tools; for example, the NIST ONC EHR Certification Laboratory Reporting test tool.

GVT has the concept of a Tool Scope that provides users with their own space to host customized tools.  The Tool Scope is used to organize testing tools into user-defined categories. A Tool Scope may be Private (available for use only by the registered GVT User who created the Tool Scope) or Public (available for use by all GVT Users).

The NIST platform includes a testing infrastructure, comprised of common utilities used for testing (such as a message validation engine), and a testing framework that provides various testing tool components (such as a communication framework and a profile viewer). It is these capabilities that allows users to build their own tools automatically.

The NIST platform empowers end-users to create conformance testing tools efficiently. This streamlined approach can significantly mitigate the challenges currently associated with conformance test tools. These challenges include frequent unavailability, high development costs, difficulties with timely updates, lack of adaptability for local refinements, and lengthy time to market. Furthermore, the platform adds value by enforcing consistent and rigorous rules for requirements specifications.