Common Operating Environment (COE)

The collection of standards, specifications, and guidelines, architecture definitions, software infrastructures, reusable components, application programming interfaces (APIs), methodology, runtime environment definitions, reference implementations, and methodology, that establishes an environment on which a system can be built. The COE is the vehicle that assures interoperability through a reference implementation that provides identical implementation of common functions. It is important to realize that the COE is both a standard and an actual product.