MOLGENIS/connect: a system for semi-automatic integration of heterogeneous phenotype data with applications in biobanks.

ABSTRACT:

Motivation

While the size and number of biobanks, patient registries and other data collections are increasing, biomedical researchers still often need to pool data for statistical power, a task that requires time-intensive retrospective integration.

Results

To address this challenge, we developed MOLGENIS/connect, a semi-automatic system to find, match and pool data from different sources. The system shortlists relevant source attributes from thousands of candidates using ontology-based query expansion to overcome variations in terminology. Then it generates algorithms that transform source attributes to a common target DataSchema. These include unit conversion, categorical value matching and complex conversion patterns (e.g. calculation of BMI). In comparison to human-expe

SUBMITTER: Pang C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4937195 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature