Linking data sets to the NHDH


The AIHW works in partnership with the Data Custodians to support the onboarding of new data collections into the NHDH. There are two options for including new data into the NHDH. Data can be included on an enduring basis as explained below, or on a quarantined project-specific basis as part of our NHDH+n model.

The onboarding of data collections into the NHDH on an enduring basis includes the following steps (figure 1).

  1. Initial engagement, governance/ethics, approvals (figure 2)

    The AIHW will meet with the Data Custodian to discuss their specific needs, including timings, costs, feasibility, specific governance requirements and consent arrangements for the data collection. The AIHW will lead this process to develop a data sharing agreement and the required ethics applications.

  2. Data design and acquisition

    The AIHW will work closely with the data custodian on establishing the data item list for the NHDH and develop data specifications to transform the data in line with the requirements of the NHDH.

  3. Technical preparation

    Following the data being provided to the AIHW from the Data Custodian, AIHW will undertake the technical preparation and develop a linkage plan and test plan.

  4. Data linkage

    Once the linkage plan is established the de-identified linkage map will be created.

  5. Data merging and transformation

    Transformations will be applied in line with the data specifications and de-identified linked ready data will be transitioned to for testing.

  6. Testing

    Data is thoroughly tested to evaluate the quality, accuracy, and completeness of data.

  7. Release

    Data is transferred to the production environment for release into the NHDH secure environments for user access. The data collection is now ready for researchers to apply for access to the data via project proposals as per the processes outlined in the NHDH Governance Protocols.

For data custodians who are interested in their data being released in the NHDH, please refer to the Data Custodian Toolkit [Docx 651kB] and contact the team at [email protected].

Please complete the NHDH Data Integration Form [Docx 97kB] and send to [email protected].

Figure 1 Illustrates the process steps for linking a new dataset to the NHDH.

Figure 1: Process for linking dataset to the NHDH on an enduring basis

A horizontal flowchart that illustrates the standard operating procedure of linking a dataset to the NHDH from start to finish. The seven steps include initial engagement and governance establishment, data design and acquisition, technical preparation, data linkage, data merging and transformation, testing, and release.

Figure 2: NHDH data agreement steps

A six-part diagram that depicts the process of linking new datasets into the NHDH. This includes data agreement sharing, any relevant ethics applications, and the NHDH project proposal.