Our Data
Find out more about our data
License Details
All visualisations and data produced by Pandemic PACT are open access under the Creative Commons BY license. You have permission to use, distribute, and reproduce these in any medium, provided the source and authors are credited. All the software and code that we write is open source and made available via GitHub under the MIT license.
Citation
Pandemic PACT Research Programme, Grant and Evidence Gap Tracker by the Pandemic PACT Team with GloPID-R and UKCDR.
Protocol for the Pandemic PACT Database and Dashboard
We have published a protocol on the Wellcome Open Research platform describing the metadata and database of Pandemic PACT, as well as outlining the plan for the future publications, specifically, the baseline living mapping review analysis and update analyses going forward. The protocol details our data collection process, which includes web scraping from agreed funders' websites and direct data provision from select funding organisations. It also describes the search strategy, the data extraction approach, and variables in the database. The protocol also outlines the scope, content and methods used for preparing the living analyses. The data set can be downloaded from this website and all metadata and the dataset can be downloaded from FigShare.
You can read the protocol here.
Pandemic PACT Grant Linkage to PMC Publications/Articles
The explore page of our database is powered by the Articles RESTful API from Europe PMC, which is linked to our collected grant data. This API is utilised to search for publications in the PMC Grist database that match our curated grant data.
We use ORCID IDs, GRANT IDs, and/or the names of principal investigators (PIs) as identifiers. These identifiers are crucial for retrieving publications specific to a grant or a researcher, ensuring the explore page effectively showcases relevant information. The availability of these identifiers in our collected data is essential for the functionality of the explore page.
Data Submission Guidance
Data submission guide and template
The Data Submission Template is available here for funders wishing to share data directly with us. Included in the template is a self-explanatory "Data Dictionary (Guide)" tab, which assists data providers by explaining each field in detail. Access can be granted to direct data providers to our data file repository on Figshare, enabling users to submit/upload data seamlessly. For any issues or support related to this process, please contact Thomas Mendy at thomas.mendy@ndm.ox.ac.uk or the generic mailbox: pandemicpact.info@ndm.ox.ac.uk.
Current data included in the Pandemic PACT database and dashboard
The Pandemic PACT database and dashboard were most recently updated on 19th March 2024.
We currently present data from 1st January 2020 to March 2024 for the following UKCDR & GloPID-R research funders. The other funders represented in our data co-funded research with these UKCDR & GloPID-R members. The current coverage comprises data either scraped from publicly available sources based on search terms outlined in the Pandemic PACT protocol or provided directly by the relevant funders. Further data is under production and the database and dashboard will continue to be expanded and updated.
Data Flow Diagram
Pandemic PACT collects and scrapes data on research funding from funder websites and other funding sources using their APIs. In some cases, funders directly share this data with the Pandemic PACT team to facilitate its inclusion in the database, which led to the creation of the Data Submission Guidance. The data encompasses details on grants, including amounts awarded, dates, and information on the awardees, such as names of investigators, host institutions, and locations of research sites.
The data are processed by the team through our Extract, Transform, and Load (ETL) pipeline to ensure compatibility with the tracker's standard schema. After processing, the data is loaded into the REDCap platform, which is hosted within the University of Oxford’s network for coding and review by the team. Subsequently, the data is shared and stored in a Figshare repository to be accessible to the public and our technical partners Enovate Design Limited who design and maintain the online tracker. This tracker displays the data through a range of visualisations, offering insights and updates on the research funding landscape. Below is the data flow:
Data Dictionary
Our Data Dictionary serves as a comprehensive guide to understanding the data we collect, process, and share. It provides detailed descriptions of each data field, including the type of data, possible values, and an explanation of what each field represents. This resource is designed to ensure clarity and consistency in the data we provide, making it easier for users to interpret and utilise the information effectively.
To access the latest version of our Data Dictionary, we invite users to visit our repository on Figshare. There, you can view or download the Data Dictionary, ensuring you have the most up-to-date version. Whether you're a researcher, a data analyst, or just curious about our data, the Data Dictionary is your key to unlocking a deeper understanding of our data sets.
Protocol for the Pandemic PACT RRNAs
We have published a protocol on the Open Science Framework platform describing the ‘living’ Rapid Research Needs Appraisal (RRNA) protocol for priority diseases. The protocol details our process, which includes systematically searching for published evidence on peer-reviewed databases and in grey literature, screening of publications for inclusion and data extraction in a global relay model. The protocol also outlines the responsibilities of the stakeholders involved, the research scope, and the software used. The final data will be presented on this website.
The protocol is available as open access on OSF | Rapid Research Needs Appraisals.
Implementation of the FAIR Data Principles
At the core of our mission, we embrace the FAIR data principles, ensuring that our data is Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable. With support from the Go FAIR Foundation, we created a FAIR Implementation Plan (FIP; to be published soon), which is a list of declared technology choices outlining the intention to implement each of the FAIR Guiding Principles. This list serves as a reference for our data stewardship activities. The intention is that the FIP will be reused and repurposed by other researchers and alike setting up similar databases. These principles guide our approach to data management, making our research data openly available and reusable for the broader scientific community.
For enhanced data exploration all the metadata and the database itself were made machine-actionable. To embody this approach, we have developed a machine-findable and machine-readable Pandemic PACT FAIR Vocabulary, a cornerstone of our data schema for grants. This vocabulary is designed to facilitate a common understanding and enhance the usability of our data across different domains. You can explore the Pandemic PACT FAIR Vocabulary here.
Furthermore, the version of metadata schema powering our vocabulary is also available for review in a human user-friendly format. This schema is pivotal in structuring our data to align with the FAIR principles, ensuring that it remains standardised and comprehensive. To access the metadata schema, visit our Figshare repository here.
It's important to note that both the FAIR Vocabulary and its underlying metadata schema are dynamic. Should there be changes in our main PACT schema or Dictionary, these updates will be reflected in the FAIR metadata schema and Vocabulary. This ensures that our resources remain aligned with our most up-to-date PACT schema or Dictionary, maintaining the integrity and utility of our data.