JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Guaranteeing durability, provenance, accessibility, and trust in open datasets can be challenging for researchers and organizations that rely on public repositories of data critical to epidemiology and other health analytics. Not only are the required repositories sometimes difficult to locate, and nearly always require conversion into a compatible format, they may move or change unpredictably. Any single change of the rules in one repository can hinder updating of a public dashboard reliant on pulling data from external sources. These concerns are particularly challenging at the international level, because systems aimed at harmonizing health and related data are typically dictated by national governments to serve their individual needs. In this paper, we introduce a comprehensive public health data platform, the EpiGraphHub, that aims to provide a single interoperable repository for open health and related data, curated by the international research community, which allows secure local integration of sensitive databases whilst facilitating the development of data-driven applications and reports for decision-makers. The platform development is co-funded by the World Health Organization and is fully open-source to maximize its value for large-scale public health studies.