Grid-Enabled Measures (GEM) Database: An Informatics Tool to Support Cancer Prevention and Control Research

In this era of ‘Big Data' it is crucial to develop tools that facilitate the use of standardized measures and allow for sharing the resulting harmonized data via an interoperable platform. This presentation will describe the development and implementation by the National Cancer Institute of the Grid-Enabled Measures (GEM) tool for researchers. GEM is a web portal—mounted on a grid cyberinfrastructure (internet-based research environment)--that allows researchers to search for measures based on theoretically-based constructs (the concept the measure assesses), examine metadata about these measures (e.g., validity, reliability, constructs, history, and usage), download the measures as PDF files and also submit new ones. Users can also give feedback about existing constructs and measures using ratings and comments and can interact with the virtual community of users through a Wiki-like process. In addition, this cyberinfrastructure-based tool allows users to upload and exchange data with common data elements to promote data harmonization. The presentation will include a live demonstration of GEM and will show how GEM contains many constructs and associated measures that are directly applicable to studying cancer prevention and control such as risk behaviors (tobacco dependence, diet and nutrition, physical activity, cancer screening) and other cancer-related factors (health literacy, numeracy, quality of life, depression). Lastly, there will be a discussion of the challenges of deciding on criteria for vetting and approving the measures, and for creating a viable "business model" to provide incentives to the research community to agree upon the use of common measures and sharing of data.