Data linkage in medical science using the resource description framework: the AVERT model

Brian P Reddy, Brett Houlding, Lucy Hederman, Mark Canney, Christophe Debruyne, Ciaran O'Brien, Alan Meehan, Declan O'Sullivan, Mark A Little
2019 HRB Open Research  
There is an ongoing challenge as to how best manage and understand 'big data' in precision medicine settings. This paper describes the potential for a Linked Data approach, using a Resource Description Framework (RDF) model, to combine multiple datasets with temporal and spatial elements of varying dimensionality. This "AVERT model" provides a framework for converting multiple standalone files of various formats, from both clinical and environmental settings, into a single data source. This
more » ... source can thereafter be queried effectively, shared with outside parties, more easily understood by multiple stakeholders using standardized vocabularies, incorporating provenance metadata and supporting temporo-spatial reasoning. The approach has further advantages in terms of data sharing, security and subsequent analysis. We use a case study relating to anti-Glomerular Basement Membrane (GBM) disease, a rare autoimmune condition, to illustrate a technical proof of concept for the AVERT model.
doi:10.12688/hrbopenres.12851.2 pmid:32002509 pmcid:PMC6973528 fatcat:vtt6ivhwpzhprf3tbtj6za54mq