Data Harmonization Use Case | National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences
Skip Navigation
Data Harmonization Use Case
Environmental Health Language Collaborative
Close the left navigation
Add
About EHLC
Executive Committee
Events
Get Involved
Resources
Common Language Glossary
Recommended Reading
Recommended Viewing
Speaking the Same Language
Environmental Health Use Cases
Biomarkers and Biological Processes of Exposure Use Case
Concluded Use Case Working Groups
Data Discovery Use Case
Data Harmonization Use Case
Meets monthly
Wednesday, Noon – 1:00 p.m. ET
Where: Virtual
If you are interested in joining the use case working group
, please email
[email protected]
to be added to join the use case group, receive access to the Teams site, receive meeting invitations, email updates, and access to the group’s collaboration platform on MS Teams.
Use Case Champion
Jeanette Stingone
, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health
Status
As of February 5, 2026
Active use case workgroup that meets monthly.
Submitting a brief commentary on actions to support environmental health data science standards for publication.
Currently developing a second full-length publication that encompasses Data Harmonization Use Case findings and recommendations for ontologies and standardization.
Purpose
The purpose of this use case is to address the feasibility of and to identify barriers to using harmonized language for combining data across independent research studies. The Data Harmonization Use Case centers around combining individual-level data to do pooled analyses. Environmental health researchers are interested in data integration to accelerate scientific discovery and generate new knowledge. Semantic resources like ontologies and knowledge graphs can facilitate the use of existing data and the collection of data in the future. The problem is that these resources are underutilized in environmental health due to how we describe and organize data. We want to use these tools to make it easier to combine data across studies. We also want to highlight existing resources that members of the EHS community may not be aware of.
Progress to Date
Selected example topic for finding datasets – Exposure to pollution and development of asthma.
Developed list of existing metadata tools and templates for potential interoperability and comparison of datasets across different studies.
Hosted a
data harmonization workshop in January and February 2023
(1MB)
to obtain stakeholder feedback and report progress to date.
Developed a rubric for identifying ontologies to use for describing data and findings.
Developed a new resource “Example Ontologies for EHS Domains” containing existing ontology or semantic resources categorized by domain and sub-domain names, using the rubric for identifying ontologies.
Conducted data mapping exercises on epidemiological asthma-related datasets from
Human Health Exposure and Analysis Resource
(HHEAR) to better identify challenges, gaps, and opportunities.
Finalized data mapping exercises with HHEAR data sets.
Developed and published an EHS-relevant set of recommended practices and tools using the results of the mapping exercises and other group activities:
Unlocking the Power of Data Harmonization in Environmental Health Sciences: A Comprehensive Exploration of Significance, Use Cases, and Recommendations for Standardization Efforts
(1MB)
Developed a brief commentary on community-level actions to support environmental health data science standards.
Next Steps
Submit the brief commentary for publication and comment at a target journal.
Develop a second full-length publication on the use of ontologies, common data elements (CDEs), and data standards for exposomics and environmental health researchers.
Identify whether unique strategies and resources should be developed for users with different levels of data harmonization expertise.
Update and curate the “Example Ontologies for EHS Domains” resource and plan communication strategies for distribution.
Explore how DHUC efforts could be expanded to data streams beyond epidemiology studies, including social determinants of health.
Expected Final Products
Multiple publications that encompass DHUC findings and recommendations for different aspects of data standardization in the environmental health science space.
Recommendations for the EHS community and a curated list of tools and standards for informing data collection practices to integrate or harmonize data across studies.
How to Get Involved
DHUC is seeking feedback on criteria for including an existing resource, how to identify and organize ontology resources, and the overall approach to data harmonization. Send an email to
[email protected]
to be added to the Data Harmonization Use Case roster. You will receive meeting invitations, email updates, and access to the group’s collaboration platform on MS Teams.
Back
to Top
Last Reviewed: March 23, 2026