The purpose of this session is to review Data Model Best Practices prior to finalising and submission to the GA4GH Technical Alignment Subcommittee (TASC) and the Product Steering Committee.  Data Model Best Practices are intended to facilitate communication and sharing of data models across GA4GH Work Streams. They address what should be included in a data model (content), best forms of representation, and the key ingredients for publication of a data model. We consider factors such as the audience and intended use, as well as the model's stage of development. As part of this effort, the Data Model and Schema Consensus (DaMaSC) team has identified Recommended Ontologies.

The session will begin with a short overview of DaMaSC and a discussion about the Recommended Ontologies — how they were selected, next steps, and suggestions and comments from participants.

Next, speakers will present a brief overview of the best practices identified thus far and review some existing examples. We will then break into smaller groups to identify a data model you’ve worked with and identify pros and cons on both content and presentation. The smaller groups will compare the selected data model to the Data Model Best Practices presented and report back to the larger group.

We will then dive into an interactive white boarding session to collect your comments on the ideas.