Open Data, Open Possibilities

August 21, 2024 - 5 minutes read

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What is Open Data?

Back in 2019, as the Dog Aging Project was just getting started, Dr. Daniel Promislow, one of the project founders, wrote a blog post explaining that the project would be an Open Data initiative. He described how the data collected from our fantastic Pack would be stripped of personally identifying information and made available to anyone interested in learning more about dogs. At the time, we hoped to get 10,000 dogs’ worth of data.

That didn’t happen.

To our surprise and delight, we now have a Dog Aging Project Pack of 50,000 dogs, with more joining every day!  (It’s not too late; you can still enroll your dog!) That is survey data, electronic medical records, and activity results from a lot of dogs. Our Foundation cohort of 6,000 dogs has contributed genetic material, and in our Precision cohort of 1,000 dogs, some are already providing their fourth year of biological samples. The Project’s 2023 data release includes 49.92 million data points, not counting environmental, genetic, and molecular data.

That is a lot of data. Who can access it?

We make our data available to researchers worldwide in the hope that they, too, will be able to use this information to make discoveries and further scientific understanding.

What can they do with it?

In general, individuals who access and use Dog Aging Project Curated Open Data agree to the following terms and conditions:

  • Dog Aging Project data will be used for independent research, educational applications, and/or investigative journalism.
  • Data Users will not try to identify or contact any research participants (dog owners) based on the accessed data.
  • Data Users will not share Terra login, DAP data, derived variables or indices, or novel methodology.
  • Data Users will acknowledge and adhere to our Mission Statement and Minimum Standards of Privacy.
  • Dog Aging Project data will be acknowledged and cited appropriately.

What happens when scientists disagree about what the data mean?

Like any of us, scientists bring their own experiences and biases with them as they work with the data. When there are differences in the interpretation of data, that is where we all learn more. Science works because people come up with ideas, carry out studies to test these ideas, and publish their results in peer-reviewed papers. Other people can then verify that the initial studies were carefully done and that the results are valid. This process of continuing validation allows us to trust what has come before and to build upon that previous knowledge, learning more over time. The scientific analyses that DAP team members do should be repeated by others; , similarly, external scientists doing that work need to be accountable for the science they do. By allowing outsiders to access our data, not only can they make their own discoveries, but they can also effectively check our work, make sure we got everything right, and quickly fix errors when they do arise.

How can I tell if a paper is written by a Dog Aging Project researcher?

Every paper published has an author list at the top. When the Dog Aging Project research team is involved in a paper, the Dog Aging Project Consortium will be listed as an author. You can learn more about who is part of the Consortium on our blog.

Want to learn more?

Check out our August 2024 Pack Event – How Dog Aging Project’s Data Becomes Science:

Learn more about how the Dog Aging Project’s data is curated and what outside researchers agree to when they get our data. As well as how science builds on science and the importance of diverse analyses of data from the Dog Aging Project.

Susan Haven

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