OPEN HEALTH
DATA PLATFORM
The Digital Catapult
collaborated with
Mastodon C to
create opportunities
for SMEs using
open health data
Mastodon C is a big data
technology company, building
and operating systems,
which make sense of very
large or complex data sets.
In partnership with the
Digital Catapult, the company
created the Open Health Data
Platform, an initiative making
open health data more easily
usable for innovation.
A PLATFORM WHERE OPEN HEALTH
DATASETS WOULD BE AVAILABLE,
ACCESSIBLE AND PRESENTED IN A WAY
DEVELOPERS COULD EASILY ANALYSE
Cutting-edge Project
The CEO of Mastodon C,
Francine Bennett, was aware
of the huge potential of
underused open health data,
but to take on a project of
this magnitude would not
have been commercially
viable without additional
support. The Digital Catapult
was able to provide this
help, collaborating with
Mastodon C to construct a
platform where open health
data sets are available,
accessible and presented in
a way developers can easily
analyse them to stimulate
innovative ideas. Work began
in 2013, and the Digital
Catapult complemented
Mastodon C’s technical
expertise by designing a
user-friendly interface and
providing guidance on target
audiences. The support
provided by the Digital
Catapult helped Mastodon
C to markedly accelerate the
development of the platform.
Number Crunching
The Open Health Data
Platform launched in April
2014 providing access to
four initial datasets. The
platform, which aggregates
the vast amount of data and
presents it in a standardised
format, allows developers
to analyse and visualise
data using functions such
as a geographical mapping
tool. All the code used to
operate the platform is
open source, meaning
developers can continue to
build and develop aspects
of the platform and can add
additional data or functions
to suit their needs. Aimed at
developers and businesses,
the platform also contains
a detailed ‘how to’ section
explaining the functionality
of the platform and offering
guidance on using the code,
which is also available for
developers to fork via GitHub.
The initial data sets, which
do not contain any personally
identifying information,
included UK statistics on
prescribed drugs and the
performance of GP surgeries.
O P EN H E A LT H DATA P R OJ EC T
Creating a Legacy
Since its launch, in addition to external developers using
the platform, the Digital Catapult has been able to use the
platform to assist with other projects, such as Healthy Access,
a new online service from Toothpick.com. As the marketleading provider of online appointments for local dentists,
Toothpick was experienced in crunching big data numbers
on access to healthcare services, which they wanted to
leverage the commercial potential of. The Digital Catapult,
through its Open Health Data Platform, worked with Toothpick
to use their data and other public health data to develop
a scoring system for each local authority in England and
visualise it in an engaging and understandable format to
educate the public on available local health services.
Following the launch in February 2015, Toothpick are
now urging local authorities and partners to get involved
by displaying their local scores on their websites by
downloading a badge from the Healthy Access website.
The project has already received endorsements from
Patient.co.uk, NHS Choices, and Drdoctor.com.
© Digital Catapult 2015
Francine Bennett,
Mastodon C said:
“We wouldn’t have been
able to tackle this platform
without the support of the
Digital Catapult, we started
with completely raw data
and we’ve created something
extremely useful, with a
huge potential to impact the
market and a great deal of
value for the greater good.”
Region:
London
Partners:
Mastodon C
Challenge area:
Personal Data & Trust
Project website:
www.cde.org.uk
digitalcatapultcentre.org.uk
[email protected]
tel: 0300 1233 101
“I’m proud that we were able to collaborate with Mastodon C
to produce this platform which has enabled many developers
to utilise data they otherwise wouldn’t have been able to,”
says Peter Karney, Head of Engineering, at the Digital Catapult.
“Additionally, the strength of the Digital Catapult is that we
are not only able to understand data but are also able to help
developers design user friendly platforms to create innovative
new services for the public, such as Healthy Access”.