Discovering Data Access and Use Requirements Using the Data Tag Suite (DATS)

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Abstract

This article presents elements in the Data Tags Suite (DATS) metadata schema describing data access, data use conditions, and consent information. DATS is a product of the bioCADDIE Project, which created a data discovery index for searching across all types of biomedical data. The “access and use” metadata items in DATS are designed from the perspective of a researcher who wants to find and re-use existing data. Data reuse is often controlled to protect the privacy of subjects and patients. We focus on the impact of data protection procedures on data users. However, these procedures are part of a larger environment around patient privacy protection, and this article puts DATS metadata into the context of the administrative, legal, and technical systems used to protect confidential data.