{"id":6490,"date":"2020-03-12T11:00:48","date_gmt":"2020-03-12T10:00:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.go-fair.org\/?page_id=6490"},"modified":"2022-11-08T17:16:06","modified_gmt":"2022-11-08T16:16:06","slug":"vodan","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.go-fair.org\/implementation-networks\/overview\/vodan\/","title":{"rendered":"Virus Outbreak Data Network (VODAN)"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\nThe VODAN Implementation Network is one of the joint activities carried out by CODATA, RDA, WDS, and GO FAIR<\/strong>\u00a0(Link to the Data Together Statement<\/a>).
\nRead the full statement on Data Together COVID-19 Appeal and Actions<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n

Active GO FAIR Implementation Network
\n<\/strong>The spread of the virus causing the COVID-19 outbreak is far from over.\u00a0During this epidemic and in earlier occasions, we have seen severely suboptimal data management and data reuse. Moreover, access to the immensely valuable data of past and current epidemics is not always equally accessible for different affected populations and countries. For instance, the data from the past Ebola epidemics are very difficult to find, to access, and if accessible, they are not interoperable, let alone reusable<\/i>.\u00a0\u00a0Under the urgent need\u00a0to harness machine-learning and future AI approaches to discover meaningful patterns in epidemic outbreaks, we need to do better and ensure that data are FAIR (in this sense also meaning\u00a0F<\/b>ederated, AI<\/b>–R<\/b>eady).<\/p>\n

Purpose of the Implementation Network<\/strong>
\nThis time, we can do better<\/b>. We now have the technical ability, as well as the commitment from experts in a series of affected countries, to make the SARS CoV-2 virus data FAIR, meaning that they are Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and thus Reusable by both humans and machines, during this epidemic of COVID-19. The technical\u00a0components that make this possible can remain in place, waiting in ready state for potential future infectious disease outbreaks<\/i>.<\/p>\n

We started this Implementation network with a very narrow focus, based on seed funding from co-founding partners, ZonMW and the Philips Foundation (see the manifesto<\/a>), namely to make source data FAIR and make them available for reuse in a distributed manner. These initial projects<\/a> under VODAN IN are coordinated by the GO FAIR Foundation<\/a>.\u00a0With a sense of urgency driven by the rapid developments on COVID-19 \u00a0we came together to \u00a0launch<\/b>\u00a0a GO FAIR Implementation Network to address the immediate challenges. For this epidemic, unfortunately, we have to \u2018FAIRify\u2019 COVID-19 data \u2018after the fact<\/i>\u2019 and use Chinese, Dutch, Swedish, etc. and English electronic (or even hand-written) health records to create proper FAIR data. The FAIRification will\u00a0initially focus on the Clinical Research Form (CRF) model following the WHO standards. Multiple IN partners will create input forms that make it easy for local caregivers to create FAIR-CRF data in real time as a first step. As a second step, we will jointly develop (via online work sessions) localized FAIR Data Points (FDP)<\/a>. FDP is a FAIR data repository with \u2018docking\u2019 capabilities\u00a0as a \u2018station’ for \u2018trains\u2019 (virtual machines (VMs)) that come to \u2018visit\u2019 the data locally, with a specific question to ask. The local data custodian (frequently a hospital or centre for disease control and prevention type of institution) grants permission to VMs to ask the question \/ run analyses. As the personal data of patients never leaves the underlying database of the local institution, GDPR issues are largely accommodated\u00a0and in this way data can be \u2018shared\u2019 or rather \u2018visited\u2019 without violating any patient rights and, in the case of a disease outbreak, also governed by the laws and policies of the individual jurisdictions\u00a0in which the outbreak manifests.<\/p>\n

Trains (VMs) can visit multiple local FAIR Data Points to get their questions answered. For more information on the underlying technological approach please visit the\u00a0<\/span>Personal Health Train IN pages<\/a>. The data stewardship aspects of FAIR data will be addressed wherever possible with the Data Stewardship Competence Centres IN<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Targeted Objectives<\/strong>
\nThe VODAN\u00a0IN consortium<\/b>\u00a0is a light-weight public private partnership (members listed under the VODAN clusters<\/a>) that will jointly address in a stepwise fashion, the following issues:<\/p>\n