Non-proprietary Formats Research Articles

World Health Organization Member States and Open Health Data: An Observational Study

BackgroundOpen health data has implications for clinical care, research, public health, and health policy at regional, national, and global levels. No published attempts have been made to determine, collectively, whether WHO member states and governments have embraced the promise and effort required to officially share open health data. The observational study will provide evidence that World Health Organization (WHO) member states individually and collectively have adopted open data recommended principles, providing access to open health data.
 MethodsUsing the WHO list of member states (n=194), the researchers identified the presence of open health data or initiatives. With each country, the following types of official government web pages were recorded: a Ministry of Health web page; a conspicuous link on a government web page to open health data; additional government health web sites; national government-sponsored open data repositories; unique attributes of national health data web sites; and adherence to the principles of open government data for health. A supplemental PDF file provides a representation of data used for analysis and observations. Our complete data is available at: https://goo.gl/Kwj7mb
 Observations and DiscussionOpen health data is easily discoverable in less than one-third of the WHO member states. 13 nations demonstrate the principle to provide comprehensive open data. Only 16 nations distribute primary, non-aggregated health data. 24 % of the WHO observed member states are providing some health data in a non-proprietary formats such as comma-separated values. The sixth, seventh, and eighth open government data principles for health, representing universal access, non-proprietary formats, and non-patent protection, are observed in about one-third of the WHO member states. While there are examples of organized national open health data, no more than a one-third minority of the world’s nations have portals set up to systematically share open health data. At least 15 WHO member states are observed to not even have a government health ministry representation online.
 ConclusionWe hope the data collected in our Google Sheet and the discussion provided in this paper will generate international interest and advocacy for open health data.

BIM Supported Surveying and Imaging Combination for Heritage Conservation

As the basis for analysis and management of heritage assets, 3D laser scanning and photogrammetric 3D reconstruction have been probed as adequate techniques for point cloud data acquisition. The European Directive 2014/24/EU imposes BIM Level 2 for government centrally procured projects as a collaborative process of producing federated discipline-specific models. Although BIM software resources are intensified and increasingly growing, distinct specifications for heritage (H-BIM) are essential to driving particular processes and tools to efficiency shifting from point clouds to meaningful information ready to be exchanged using non-proprietary formats, such as Industry Foundation Classes (IFC). This paper details a procedure for processing enriched 3D point clouds into the REVIT software package due to its worldwide popularity and how closely it integrates with the BIM concept. The procedure will be additionally supported by a tailored plug-in to make high-quality 3D digital survey datasets usable together with 2D imaging, enhancing the capability to depict contextualized important graphical data to properly planning conservation actions. As a practical example, a 2D/3D enhanced combination is worked to accurately include into a BIM project, the length, orientation, and width of a big crack on the walls of the Castle of Torrelobatón (Spain) as a representative heritage building.

A Beginner's Guide to Conducting Reproducible Research

A Beginner's Guide to Conducting Reproducible Research

Systematizing Effective Practice, Embedding It in Standard Practice

Academia uses methods and techniques that are cutting edge and constantly evolving, while the underlying cultures and working practices remain rooted in the 19th-century model of the independent scientist. Standardization in processes and data standards—delivered via foundational and ongoing training—could ensure a common minimum standard, increase interoperability across the sector, and drive improvements in research quality. But change will require a coordinated approach that recognizes the systems nature of the challenge.

SnowCloudMetrics: Snow Information for Everyone

Snow is a critical component of the climate system, provides fresh water for millions of people globally, and affects forest and wildlife ecology. Snowy regions are typically data sparse, especially in mountain environments. Remotely-sensed snow cover data are available globally but are challenging to convert into accessible, actionable information. SnowCloudMetrics is a web portal for on-demand production and delivery of snow information including snow cover frequency (SCF) and snow disappearance date (SDD) using Google Earth Engine (GEE). SCF and SDD are computed using the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) Snow Cover Binary 500 m (MOD10A1) product. The SCF and SDD metrics are assessed using 18 years of Snow Telemetry records at more than 750 stations across the Western U.S. SnowCloudMetrics provides users with the capacity to quickly and efficiently generate local-to-global scale snow information. It requires no user-side data storage or computing capacity, and needs little in the way of remote sensing expertise. SnowCloudMetrics allows users to subset by year, watershed, elevation range, political boundary, or user-defined region. Users can explore the snow information via a GEE map interface and, if desired, download scripts for access to tabular and image data in non-proprietary formats for additional analyses. We present global and hemispheric scale examples of SCF and SDD. We also provide a watershed example in the transboundary, snow-dominated Amu Darya Basin. Our approach represents a new, user-driven paradigm for access to snow information. SnowCloudMetrics benefits snow scientists, water resource managers, climate scientists, and snow related industries providing SCF and SDD information tailored to their needs, especially in data sparse regions.

Spatially distributed water-balance and meteorological data from the Wolverton catchment, Sequoia National Park, California

Abstract. Accurate water-balance measurements in the seasonal, snow-dominated Sierra Nevada are important for forest and downstream water management. However, few sites in the southern Sierra offer detailed records of the spatial and temporal patterns of snowpack and soil-water storage and the fluxes affecting them, i.e., precipitation as rain and snow, snowmelt, evapotranspiration, and runoff. To explore these stores and fluxes we instrumented the Wolverton basin (2180–2750 m) in Sequoia National Park with distributed, continuous sensors. This 2006–2016 record of snow depth, soil moisture and soil temperature, and meteorological data quantifies the hydrologic inputs and storage in a mostly undeveloped catchment. Clustered sensors record lateral differences with regards to aspect and canopy cover at approximately 2250 and 2625 m in elevation, where two meteorological stations are installed. Meteorological stations record air temperature, relative humidity, radiation, precipitation, wind speed and direction, and snow depth. Data are available at hourly intervals by water year (1 October–30 September) in non-proprietary formats from online data repositories (https://doi.org/10.6071/M3S94T).

Spatially distributed water-balance and meteorological data from the rain–snow transition, southern Sierra Nevada, California

Abstract. We strategically placed spatially distributed sensors to provide representative measures of changes in snowpack and subsurface water storage, plus the fluxes affecting these stores, in a set of nested headwater catchments. The high temporal frequency and distributed coverage make the resulting data appropriate for process studies of snow accumulation and melt, infiltration, evapotranspiration, catchment water balance, (bio)geochemistry, and other critical-zone processes. We present 8 years of hourly snow-depth, soil-moisture, and soil-temperature data, as well as 14 years of quarter-hourly streamflow and meteorological data that detail water-balance processes at Providence Creek, the upper part of which is at the current 50 % rain versus snow transition of the southern Sierra Nevada, California. Providence Creek is the long-term study cooperatively run by the Southern Sierra Critical Zone Observatory (SSCZO) and the USDA Forest Service Pacific Southwest Research Station's Kings River Experimental Watersheds (KREW). The 4.6 km2 montane Providence Creek catchment spans the current lower rain–snow transition elevation of 1500–2100 m. Two meteorological stations bracket the high and low elevations of the catchment, measuring air temperature, relative humidity, solar radiation, precipitation, wind speed and direction, and snow depth, and at the higher station, snow water equivalent. Paired flumes at three subcatchments and a V-notch weir at the integrating catchment measure quarter-hourly streamflow. Measurements of meteorological and streamflow data began in 2002. Between 2008 and 2010, 50 sensor nodes were added to measure distributed snow depth, air temperature, soil temperature, and soil moisture within the top 1 m below the surface. These sensor nodes were installed to capture the lateral differences of aspect and canopy coverage. Data are available at hourly and daily intervals by water year (1 October–30 September) in nonproprietary formats from online data repositories. Data for the Southern Sierra Critical Zone Observatory distributed snow and soil datasets are at https://doi.org/10.6071/Z7WC73. Kings River Experimental Watersheds meteorological data are available from https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2018-0028 and stream-discharge data are available from https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2017-0037.

Evaluating the Quality and Usability of Open Data for Public Health Research: A Systematic Review of Data Offerings on 3 Open Data Platforms.

Government datasets are newly available on open data platforms that are publicly accessible, available in nonproprietary formats, free of charge, and with unlimited use and distribution rights. They provide opportunities for health research, but their quality and usability are unknown. To describe available open health data, identify whether data are presented in a way that is aligned with best practices and usable for researchers, and examine differences across platforms. Two reviewers systematically reviewed a random sample of data offerings on NYC OpenData (New York City, all offerings, n = 37), Health Data NY (New York State, 25% sample, n = 71), and HealthData.gov (US Department of Health and Human Services, 5% sample, n = 75), using a standard coding guide. Three open health data platforms at the federal, New York State, and New York City levels. Data characteristics from the coding guide were aggregated into summary indices for intrinsic data quality, contextual data quality, adherence to the Dublin Core metadata standards, and the 5-star open data deployment scheme. One quarter of the offerings were structured datasets; other presentation styles included charts (14.7%), documents describing data (12.0%), maps (10.9%), and query tools (7.7%). Health Data NY had higher intrinsic data quality (P < .001), contextual data quality (P < .001), and Dublin Core metadata standards adherence (P < .001). All met basic "web availability" open data standards; fewer met higher standards of "hyperlinked to other data." Although all platforms need improvement, they already provide readily available data for health research. Sustained effort on improving open data websites and metadata is necessary for ensuring researchers use these data, thereby increasing their research value.

Opening government health data to the public: benefits, challenges, and lessons learned from early innovators.

Government agencies are rapidly developing web portals to proactively publish "open" data that are searchable, available in nonproprietary formats, and with unlimited use and distribution rights. In this dynamic environment, we aimed to understand the experiences of 2 early leaders in open health data, the US Department of Health and Human Services and the New York State Department of Health. Semistructured interviews with 40 practitioners and policymakers elicited value propositions, capabilities required for successful open data programs, and strategies for improving impact and sustainability. Transcripts were analyzed using a grounded theory approach to identify common perspectives and divergent viewpoints. Respondents were optimistic about the value of open data, reporting numerous opportunities to advance the triple aim of lower costs, improved health care quality, and better population health. Benefits to agencies include enhanced data quality and more efficient operations. External benefits include improved health literacy, data-driven changes in health care delivery, consumer engagement, and community empowerment. Key challenges are resources, cultural resistance, navigating legal and regulatory issues, and data quality. The open data movement will likely continue, but success requires sustained leadership, resources, organizational cultural change, promotion of data use, and governance. Jurisdictions that are initiating open data programs can incorporate these lessons from early innovators. The open data movement has a bright future but unknown long-term impact. To maintain momentum, important directions for the field include reconsidering legal guidance on protecting health data in the open data era and quantifying the return on investment.

The eArchive Service: A practical, cost-effective and sustainable approach for preserving authentic electronic records at AstraZeneca

Long-term retention of authentic electronic records is of significant importance to the pharmaceutical industry, from many standpoints including legal, regulatory and intellectual property protection. The risk of losing access to critical business information in the future could potentially be detrimental to a pharmaceutical business. The industry in the main has relied on a variety of archival approaches, such as using file systems and content management systems and keeping operational systems alive beyond their intended lifetime; unfortunately, none of these approaches are sustainable in the long-term and do not address the serious issue of loss of access through technology obsolescence.The eArchive service has been developed by AstraZeneca to manage the long-term preservation of electronic records, and to begin to address the issue of technology obsolescence. The system is intended to ingest and reliably maintain electronic records from all areas of the global business with retention periods ranging from seven years to many decades. A wide variety of both proprietary and non-proprietary formats are used for the creation of AstraZeneca records; to date, there has been little focus on generating records in formats suitable for long-term preservation. As a result, many records requiring long-term retention may become at risk of format obsolescence unless action is taken. The eArchive service contains mechanisms to mitigate against such risks and facilitate continued access to authentic content throughout a records retention period. In addition to ensuring continued access, strict records management policies must also be enforced. Material must be disposed of once its retention period has been reached, as long as it is not required for ongoing litigation (on legal hold).This paper describes a practical and extensible approach employed by the eArchive service for providing cost-effective and sustainable access to electronic records over time. The solution has been developed in accordance with the Open Archival Information System (OAIS) reference model and AstraZeneca's own enterprise architecture. Consideration has also been given to records management activities, such as appraisal and disposition that are not described within the OAIS reference model.The primary approach has been to maximize the use of robust COTS (Commercial off the Shelf) products to form the core of the solution. Customizations are applied where appropriate. Concepts and tools developed by the EU Planets program have also been incorporated into the design, as well as aspects of metadata standards such as PREMIS and Dublin Core.Format migration has been adopted as the long-term preservation mechanism, in addition to a policy of accepting only a limited number of &#x201C;Preservation Ready&#x201D; formats. As a result, many of the format migrations will take place prior to ingest into the eArchive system. This paper will describe in detail the approach to preservation policy, identification and selection of preservation pathways and methods of validating the authenticity for long-term preservation of digital images. The tiered fidelity model, based on business requirements, will also be introduced and described in detail.

Metadata, Technology, and Processing a Backlog in a University Special Collections

ABSTRACT Writing about cataloging and reducing a backlog in the archives of a special collections department is one thing, but actually establishing a plan and executing it is another. This article describes cataloging and reducing a backlog in the archives of a special collections department as a project that involves multiple people, techniques, and perspectives. A single path to eliminating a backlog and providing access to collections does not exist, but many librarians and archivists have shared their experiences and their thoughts on best practices. The emphasis on nonproprietary formats and central databases to establish control over collection metadata has become the ultimate goal to handle backlog metadata. While this task might seem insurmountable, both university and government Web sites offer free software, locally adjustable computer programs, and guides to assist with creating a foundation for electronic administrative control.