What does data “federation” mean and why is it important to NDAR?
The provision of access to data sources that exist outside of a central system such as NDAR is called data “federation”. NDAR uses technology developed by the Biomedical Informatics Resource Networks (www.nbirn.net) to access such data sources, allowing NDAR to provide simple, efficient access to ASD research data that may reside outside of the NDAR central repository. Autism research data exist in many such databases located around the world, but differing access processes for multiple sources and inconsistent data standards and formats often combine to create insurmountable barriers to data reuse and collaboration. Rather than moving data from their various sources into the NDAR Data Repository – which can invoke additional complications – NDAR is deploying data “federation” technology to allow researchers to access important research data directly, in a simple, consistent manner through the NDAR portal, regardless of where the data may reside. NDAR is piloting this capability in 200
