Catalysing systems interoperability.
Data Standards for Global Health Data.
World Health Organization (WHO)
CLIENT
The World Health Organization is a specialised agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health.
BRIEF
As part of WHO’s transformation agenda, a new World Health Data Hub was created providing a centralised platform to support the management and dissemination of global health data. Kore was engaged to design and embed interoperable standards and processes to modernise WHO's data ecosystem from data storage and warehousing to front-end dissemination, ensuring seamless data integration and consistent, reliable information sharing across all levels of the organisation.
Historically, WHO departments, regional and country offices had managed their data independently across a variety of tools and systems. The fragmentation resulted in a lack of standardisation complicating interoperability, comparative analysis, and data sharing. Kore prepared an overarching strategic approach with three interconnecting models to address this challenge developing a robust system of data management standards.
Development of the WHO Data Description Schema
Kore created the WHO Data Description Schema, a comprehensive framework that standardises how data is described across WHO’s diverse data products and processes. The schema includes ontological, taxonomic, and syntactic patterns, offering a unified approach that empowers WHO to maintain consistency across its data landscape while allowing for the use of bespoke tools and systems tailored to specific data workflows. Enabling cross-platform, tool-agnostic data management, the schema ensures that data is consistently represented from collection to analysis and dissemination. By implementing this common language, WHO can enhance interoperability across programmatic areas and improve its interactions with member states, partners, and public consumers of data.
Standardisation of Data Indicator Coding
We designed a standardised approach for coding unique identifiers for health indicators, ensuring harmonised data representation from collection to dissemination. The introduction of Universally Unique Identifiers (UUIDs) provided a consistent and durable coding system for health indicators, replacing outdated legacy system codes and ensuring that indicator coding remains relevant and interoperable. The coding approach allowed WHO to maintain continuity with historic data while establishing a robust foundation for future data interoperability. By mapping old indicator codes to UUIDs, Kore ensured that WHO's data could be seamlessly integrated with international government systems and external partners, facilitating more effective global health monitoring and reporting.
Creation of a Comprehensive Metadata Model
Kore developed an extensive metadata model for WHO's data indicators, establishing recommended minimum requirements for different stages of the data journey—from indicator creation and registration to public dissemination. The metadata model, which leverages the Data Description Schema, ensures consistency across all published indicators and compliance with wider international and UN reporting standards. For the first time, WHO’s metadata model includes built-in compliance with the Guidelines for Accurate and Transparent Health Estimates Reporting (GATHER). This checklist ensures all global health estimates published by WHO are accompanied by transparent descriptions of input data and estimation methods, aligning WHO’s data practices with international best practices and enhancing the credibility and usability of its health data.
IMPACT
For the first time, WHO’s internal data systems share a complete universally interoperable data framework, enabling seamless data integration across all levels of the organisation and with external partners, complementing its own international semantic and syntactic standards.
The new metadata model ensures compliance with UN reporting standards and GATHER guidelines, setting a new benchmark for transparency and accuracy in global health data reporting.
WHO teams have eagerly adopted the new standards, recognising the value added by Kore’s framework in enhancing data accessibility, usability, and interoperability. The standardised approach has been praised for its ability to streamline data processes and improve the quality of health data shared across the globe.
The systems and standards developed by Kore provide a durable foundation for WHO’s ongoing data transformation efforts, supporting future growth and enabling WHO to meet the evolving needs of global health data governance.
First ❶
A shared, universally interoperable data framework
Top ⏶
New metadata benchmark for international data reporting
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Standards applied, end-to-end, to all primary data systems