In a SHRINE network, the SHRINE Core Ontology defines the query language used to query data at sites across the network.  It is essentially a collection of terms that describe the data accessible at network nodes and can be used to construct queries. The terms are arranged into a hierarchy for easy navigation; the ontology can be searched for a particular terms as well.  Any network may define this query language, and therefore the ontology terms and terminologies implemented.  There are numerous common data elements that most networks will use, as well as common data standards that can be leveraged in developing a SHRINE Ontology, many of which are outlined in Ontology Development.

For a demo SHRINE Core Ontology and i2b2 Demo Data Mappings, see Implementation.

In this section: