SCENS (Secure Content Exchange Negotiation System) is a centralized repository of metadata that indexes data held on other sites and allows data holders to set conditions for data access and reuse. The system extends previous work on MetaDLs (metadata digital libraries) to enable different entities to advertise their data holdings through a common, structured interface. In addition to matching data holders with those searching for data, SCENS functions as a broker of data exchanges, recording agreements on usage (and thus also documenting statistics of data demand and usage), and also providing a receptacle for collecting feedback. The system is being developed in the domain of healthcare data, but the negotiation model it represents is powerful, with applications to many other domains. Once data sharing has been demonstrated as improving efficiency and usability of acquired information within the involved heath care agencies, and has become an integral part of workflow and communication, it will be easier for other biomedical organizations, government agencies, and other entities to be convinced that adopting data sharing will make it easier to achieve objectives, exploit synergies, and gain access to more information than previously possible. The project's findings have wide applicability in many fields, such as medicine, science, commerce, entertainment, and security, and will be available at the project Web site (http://scens.cs.dartmouth.edu/). From a management viewpoint, overall efficiency and optimal redistribution of resources within an organization can be improved by monitoring the sharing of data between separate parts of it. SCENS aims to provide a flexible yet powerful method of achieving these goals.
