Background
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has been a critical player in public health surveillance for over 75 years. Surveillance is the ongoing, systematic collection, analysis, and interpretation of health-related data that are essential for planning, implementing, and evaluating public health interventions. With the advent of digital technologies, the amount and variety of data generated in health care settings have grown exponentially, and the need to modernize public health surveillance has become more pressing.
What is the Data Modernization Initiative?
To meet this challenge, the CDC launched the Data Modernization Initiative (DMI) in 2018. The DMI aims to leverage innovative technologies, such as cloud computing, big data analytics, and machine learning, to improve the quality, timeliness, and utility of public health surveillance data. The initiative also seeks to facilitate the integration of diverse data sources, such as electronic health records, laboratory data, social media, and environmental sensors, to enhance situational awareness and early detection of health threats.
One of the key components of the DMI is the National Syndromic Surveillance Program (NSSP), which collects, analyzes, and disseminates real-time emergency department data to support early detection and situational awareness of public health threats. The NSSP uses a cloud-based platform called BioSense Platform, which is powered by Amazon Web Services (AWS) and leverages Apache Cassandra, Apache Kafka, and Apache Spark for data storage, streaming, and processing, respectively.
The BioSense Platform allows public health agencies to share data securely and collaboratively, while maintaining confidentiality and privacy of personal health information. The platform provides a flexible and scalable infrastructure that can accommodate the diverse needs of public health stakeholders, from local health departments to federal agencies. The platform also offers a suite of tools and services, such as data visualization, geospatial analysis, and machine learning, that can help public health officials identify and respond to emerging health threats. To manage this copious and quick influx of structured, semi-structured, and unstructured data, it is critical that the CDC has robust Data Cataloging and Data Lifecycle management.
What is Data Cataloging and the Data Lifecycle?
Data cataloging is the process of documenting and organizing an organization's data assets in a metadata repository, providing a searchable interface for easy discovery and access to relevant data assets. It helps improve data management, governance, quality, accessibility, and reuse. On the other hand, the data lifecycle refers to the stages that data goes through from its creation to its eventual deletion or archiving. It typically includes stages such as data creation, storage, processing, analysis, distribution, archiving, and deletion. The data lifecycle is a framework for managing and optimizing data throughout its entire existence. Together, data cataloging and data lifecycle provide a comprehensive approach to managing data, ensuring that it is well-documented, well-organized, and well-managed throughout its entire life cycle.
How Does JR Software Solutions Support DMI?
JR Software Solutions is proud to support the CDC's efforts in modernizing public health surveillance. We use Microsoft Azure, a powerful Cloud tool that allows us to develop and manage data engineering pipelines that ingest, transform, and load public health data. By incorporating Data Cataloging and Data Lifecycle management, we can easily create, schedule, and monitor complex data workflows, while ensuring data quality, reliability, and security.
In conclusion, the CDC's Data Modernization Initiative is a critical step towards modernizing public health surveillance in the digital age. By leveraging innovative technologies and partnerships, the CDC aims to enhance the speed, accuracy, and relevance of public health data, and improve the health and well-being of communities across the country. JR Software Solutions is proud to be part of this effort and will continue to support public health agencies in their mission to protect and promote the health of all Americans.
You can read more about CDC's Data Modernization Initiative here: CDC DMI Snapshot
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