The Data Management Center (DMC) is responsible for providing data management services to all projects within IDRC. The main DMC is in the head office in Kampala and the other is in the Tororo field site, both of which have full duplex high-speed Internet connections. Each DMC consists of two servers, a main server and a backup redundant server for failover, running the latest version of Microsoft Windows Server. The DMC’s are in climate controlled environments to avoid excess temperature variations and dust contamination. The main DMC is also secured with bio-metric (fingerprint) access to allow only authorized staff members. Each DMC has an uninterruptible power supply, inverter and batteries, allowing operation of the servers during power outages. There are also stand-by generators which can power the entire DMC in case of prolonged power outages.
The Data Management team consists of approximately 15 core team members based in Kampala, Tororo, Mbarara and also in our surveillance sites throughout Uganda. Typically, at any one time, there may be between 10 and 15 large projects being managed by the DMC, including clinical trials and surveillance studies.
Data Management System
IDRC has developed a state-of-the-art Data Management System consisting of data capture, data transfer, data storage and reporting systems that is used for all of IDRC’s research projects. The system is almost entirely automated and is easily replicated for new projects. New projects can be up and running on the system within days. To ensure the integrity of the data, quality control measures such as alerts and automated reports are incorporated throughout the system. The system also includes a full audit trail to keep track of all changes to the data. A SQL Server database houses the final data where reports are generated automatically for data cleaning. There is also a web interface with 3 levels of security to allow users to view the data, view reports, and even modify the data they are authorized to access. The entire system was developed in-house and is 21 CFR Part 11 compliant. All data is backed up daily to local hard drives as well as to the cloud to ensure no loss of data occurs.
Data Collection
IDRC has designed and developed a stand-alone Windows application, called GiST, for administering questionnaires. GiST is able to authenticate interviewees using biometric authentication (fingerprint recognition), automatically record GPS coordinates, and record all questionnaire responses. GiST uses an underlying XML file allowing easy configuration for new questionnaires. New questionnaires can be programmed in a few hours. More than 2,000,000 interviews have been conducted using the GiST software.
In addition to GiST, IDRC also collects survey data electronically on mobile phones using both REDCap and Open Data Kit (ODK). These methods have proven to be very successful, allowing us to have high-quality real time data collection in a cost-effective manner.
Specimen Tracking
An in-house barcoding system has been developed for managing specimen collection, storage, and tracking shipments. Hand-held scanners are used to quickly scan barcodes both at the specimen level as well as the box level for specimen storage, retrieval and tracking purposes.
Facilities & Infrastructure
Headquarters
Where to find us?
Headquarters
Where to find us?