US, UK issue Obesity Data Challenge
A new data challenge is underway with $40,000 in prizes available for data visualization tools focused on obesity.
In January 2014, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Secretary of State for Health, the National Health Services (NHS) England and the Health & Social Care Information Centre signed a memorandum of understanding, committing to a joint program of work around data and technology. In June 2014, a common theme of obesity was identified for the collaboration.
The Obesity Data Challenge is part of two parallel, prize-based competitions running in the United States and in England, where it is led by the NHS and their organizing partner, Rewired State. Each country’s challenge participants can utilize and mash up open data to develop new data visualization tools to give communities, local health officials, patients and practitioners new means to improve population health, according to an announcement.
In the U.S. portion of the challenge, HHS, the Health Data Consortium and the de Beaumont Foundation are seeking solutions that enable public health and healthcare professionals to help patients and families address the obesity epidemic at a personal and community level.
Submissions will be accepted until July 31 with the winners announced on Aug. 21. Learn more about the Obesity Data Challenge.
Editor
Editor Beth earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism and master’s in health communication. She has worked in hospital, academic and publishing settings over the past 20 years. Beth joined TriMed in 2005, as editor of CMIO and Clinical Innovation + Technology. When not covering all things related to health IT, she spends time with her husband and three children.