The prerequisite for future development and assessment of serial electrocardiographic analysis programs is the availability of easy to use database management systems for storage and retrieval of electrocardiographic data and results and efficient means for electronic interchange of digital electrocardiographic data. The basic aim of project 2026 of the European program for advanced informatics in medicine is to encourage "open European data interchange and processing for electrocardiography" (OEDIPE) and to provide objective decision support techniques in the field of quantitative electrocardiology. The final objective is to develop demonstration systems for the follow-up evaluation of (1) selected populations with heart disease, (2) integrating serial analysis, (3) decision support, (4) open databases, and (5) communication protocols, which will foreshadow large-scale monitoring of ambulatory or critically ill patients at home, during their transportation in an emergency vehicle, or during their stay in a hospital. The first-year objectives and achievements of the OEDIPE project are briefly described. Emphasis is put on the management of serial electrocardiographic records and data and on the control strategies for the management of the serial analysis process.