NITRC Image Repository: A Commercial Solution to Advancing Data Sharing in Neuros

Preuss, Nina

Abstract

The NIH Blueprint for Neuroscience Research is committed to implementing a ten-month initiative to create a proof-of-concept of the NITRC Image Repository (NITRC-IR). The goal of the NITRC-IR is to promote publication, indexing, and sharing of anonymized fMRI data-sets for research and testing by the Neuroscience community. When Blueprint's proof-of-concept is complete, the NITRC-IR will allow researchers who administer tools and resources on NITRC to upload and publically share data sets through an instance of the XNAT image repository engine. The purpose of this grant proposal is to extend the proof-of-concept NITRC-IR to allow and encourage a significantly wider audience of research organizations to develop and share fMRI data sets with the neuroscience community. Specifically, the proposed work includes: Allow research organizations to use NITRC-IR to index data sets that they maintain on their own public or FTP sites. This permits organizations to share data over which they would prefer to keep primary ownership. In addition, this removes the need for NITRC-IR to house all of the data it distributes, reducing operational costs per Gigabyte of distributed data. Allow research organizations to remotely store public and private data on the NITRC-IR. This encourages organizations to publically share and maintain data sets that otherwise would be costly to distribute on their own servers. Through storage of private data sets, the NITRC-IR would then allow organizations to create works-in-progress, with the intention to eventually release them to the community. Establish the commercial viability of the NITRC-IR as a federated warehouse. By exploring potential cost structures for the housing data for research organizations, we can ensure the longevity of the NITRC-IR as a resource for the neuroscience community. These goals will be met through our development of new XNAT functionality, validation of the NITRC-IR functionality by domain experts from the neuroimaging communities, and development of a long-term sustainability and cost recovery model for future and continued utilization of this resource. Together these objectives will greatly enhance the publication and distribution of neuroimaging research data sets and provide a cost-effective way for the NIH to ensure the persistence and sustainability of its investment in the community. This system will give researchers an easy, inexpensive, and open way to comply with NIH's data sharing policies without requiring NIH to invest in redundant computing infrastructure. !

Public Health Relevance

The goal of the NITRC-IR is to promote publication, indexing, and sharing of anonymized fMRI data-sets for research and testing by the Neuroscience community. The purpose of this grant proposal is to extend the proof-of-concept NITRC-IR to: allow research organizations to use NITRC-IR to index data sets that they maintain on their own public or FTP sites;allow research organizations to remotely store public and private data on the NITRC-IR;and establish the commercial viability of the NITRC-IR as a federated warehouse. These objectives will greatly enhance the publication and distribution of neuroimaging research data sets and provide a cost-effective way for the NIH to ensure the persistence and sustainability of its investment in the community. This system will give researchers an easy, inexpensive, and open way to comply with NIH's data sharing policies without requiring NIH to invest in redundant computing infrastructure.