Crossing the streams: improving data quality and integration across the One Health genomics continuum with data standards and implementation strategies.

Abstract

The Canadian Genomics Research and Development Initiative for Antimicrobial Resistance (GRDI-AMR) uses a genomics-based approach to understand how health care, food production and the environment contribute to the development of antimicrobial resistance. Integrating genomics contextual data streams across the One Health continuum is challenging because of the diversity in data scope, content and structure. To better enable data harmonization for analyses, a contextual data standard was developed. However, development of standards does not guarantee their use. Implementation strategies are critical for putting standards into practice. This work focuses on the development of implementation strategies to better operationalize data standards across the Canadian federal genomics ecosystem. Results include improved understanding of complex data models that can create challenges for existing systems. Technical implementation strategies included spreadsheet-based solutions, new exchange formats, and direct standards integration into new databases. Data curation exercises highlighted common data collection and sharing issues, which informed improved practices and evaluation procedures. These new practices are contributing to improved data quality and sharing within the GRDI-AMR consortium as evidenced by publicly available datasets. The implementation strategies and lessons learned described in this work are generalizable for other standards and can be applied more broadly within other initiatives.