Consistent formatting and application of data standards promote efficient data sharing, data interoperability, data interpretability, and reuse of data and software. 

Data Standards

Exact standards and associated metadata will vary by scientific area, study design, characteristics of the dataset and data type. Crucially, data generators, the research community, and domain experts familiar with the data's intricacies are best positioned to choose data standards that optimize usability and understanding within their specific communities. To this end, the DMC, in collaboration with RMIP investigators, the IDCCH, and RMIP partners, has recommended data standards, data structure, file formats, and required metadata. In general, the recommended standards promote open and readily accessible formats that are used by common analysis tools. 

The recommended standards are available for 

• Nucleotide profiles

• Small molecule profiles

• Laboratory assay profiles

• Electrophysiology assay profiles

• Medical and microscopy imaging 

• Clinical and preclinical data

Data Harmonization    

To maximize the interoperability of the data, raw data may need to be transformed to align with the data standards, resulting in a harmonized dataset. The DMC is actively developing workflows to perform the transformation. The workflows are available as apps on the BDC platform. 

The DMC has extensive experience conducting data harmonization. The DMC is available to assist with any inquiries you may have regarding the application of data standards or the process of data harmonization. 

Additional Resources

• NIH Common Data Element Repository · PhenX Toolkit

• UCUM (units) · LOINC (lab tests) · RxNorm (drugs) · SNOMED CT (clinical terms)

• OMOP Common Data Model · EBI Ontology Lookup Service (for checking codes)

• OHDSI Athena (OMOP concepts) · RxNav (RxNorm) · SSSOM (mapping standard)

• FAIR Guiding Principles