ARCHIMEDES, a data platform supported by the BHI, accelerates brain and heart research by centralizing health data in one secure, accessible platform. By gathering and harmonizing diverse datasets from across Canada, it empowers researchers to explore the complex connections between neurological and cardiovascular systems, advancing prevention, diagnosis, and treatment. Led by Drs. Jodi Edwards and Kelly Cobey with a multi-institutional team, ARCHIMEDES sets a new benchmark for open, collaborative health data, unlocking the potential to understand the relationship between the brain and heart by leveraging data in a way not previously possible.
ARCHIMEDES: A National Data Platform
Large datasets are collections of scientific data containing thousands of data points, that allow researchers to uncover patterns in disease that might otherwise be hidden in smaller datasets. These large datasets have the power to transform research, especially as artificial intelligence (AI) tools become increasingly integrated into health sciences to detect subtle trends and relationships. However, the sheer size and complexity of these datasets make them difficult to manage and analyze using traditional tools like spreadsheets. They require specialized systems for secure organization, storage, and analysis. Despite this need, formal methods of data management are often missing from the research pipeline. Compounding this challenge, health data are frequently stored in separate systems across hospitals, clinics, and research institutions, limiting collaboration and data sharing. This fragmentation makes it difficult for scientists to access and use big data effectively as a community.
To address these challenges, BHI researchers have created ARCHIMEDES, a Canadian innovation designed to centralize, secure, and streamline access to health data. ARCHIMEDES provides a foundation for collaboration, enabling researchers to harness the full potential of large datasets to advance discovery and improve health outcomes.
ARCHIMEDES, an acronym for Advanced Research Collaboration for Health Integration, Medical Exploration, and Data Synthesis, is a digital health platform that can be used to collect, manage, share, and perform analytics for multi-modal data. It is a place where researchers of all specialities can upload their own datasets, access the datasets of other researchers, and analyze all of these together to make new discoveries. ARCHIMEDES is a groundbreaking open science initiative, driving research forward through accessible, shared data. The project is co-chaired by Dr. Jodi Edwards and Dr. Kelly Cobey, both scientists at the University of Ottawa Heart Institute and associate professors in the School of Epidemiology and Public Health at the University of Ottawa. They are supported by co-principal investigators, Dr. Peter Liu (University of Ottawa Heart Institute) and Dr. Alan Evans (McGill University), alongside a full team spanning multiple institutions including University of Ottawa, McGill University, The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, and The Royal’s Institute of Mental Health Research.
The ARCHIMEDES platform has the potential to transform and drive healthcare advancements. Drs. Jodi Edwards and Kelly Cobey highlight: “By bringing together diverse data sources, from imaging and genomics to clinical and population health data, the platform enhances understanding of disease mechanisms, supports prevention strategies, and accelerates the development of new treatments.”
A Hub for Data Management, Analysis, and Sharing
The development of ARCHIMEDES marks an important step in advancing the BHI’s vision to serve as a global exemplar of open science, creating a Canadian resource that can be used across regions and institutions and scaled to the international level. The platform’s primary function is to serve as a centralized data repository, supporting research data management and secure storage. In 2021, Canada’s main federal funding agency, the Tri-Council, introduced a mandate requiring that all grant applications include data management plans and that all funded research data be deposited in accessible repositories (1). Despite this policy, formal data management and deposition practices remain an area of improvement across the research community, with limited education and support available. ARCHIMEDES addresses this gap by offering both the infrastructure and the training needed to promote best practices in data stewardship. In addition to providing a secure platform for data storage and sharing, it offers a suite of educational resources (e.g., webinars, protocols) on important aspects of working with health data including data de-identification, data sharing consent language, data standards, and more.
ARCHIMEDES features a robust software infrastructure to support the uploading and integration of multi-modal datasets, including both qualitative and quantitative data. Researchers have the flexibility to either store their data directly on the ARCHIMEDES server or retain it on their own institutional servers. They can also define the level of access to their data, whether it be open or controlled. Open data is openly available to any researcher, while controlled data requires the inquiring researcher to apply to access the data. The platform’s innovation lies in its federated access model – a system that allows all approved datasets to appear in the ARCHIMEDES catalogue, regardless of where they reside. This means that when a researcher queries the ARCHIMEDES database, they can discover datasets housed both centrally and across individual partner institutions. This approach ensures that data remain findable, accessible, and usable across organizational boundaries, reducing barriers to research and fostering collaboration nationwide. By consolidating and connecting health data in this way, ARCHIMEDES also helps to prevent unnecessary duplication of studies, enhance transparency, and optimize the use of research funding.
The platform also offers an analytics hub for biostatistics, predictive modeling, data visualization, and AI-driven health research. ARCHIMEDES has integrated web-enabled, high-performance computing to its platform, which enables cardiovascular and neuroscience researchers to harness the full potential of large, multi-modal datasets. By providing the computational power and tools needed to analyze complex data efficiently, ARCHIMEDES accelerates discovery and increases the potential to identify new treatments and cures for brain-health interconnected disorders.
“By enabling the federation and harmonization of multi-modal data sources, it will unlock the analytic power of these datasets, allowing researchers to ask new kinds of questions and develop innovative algorithms that weren’t possible before,” Drs. Jodi Edwards and Kelly Cobey share.
ARCHIMEDES in BHI Research
Neurological and cardiovascular diseases are often studied separately, with most studies focusing on one system or the other. In line with the BHI’s vision of integrating brain and heart research, ARCHIMEDES provides a framework that enables researchers to access, connect, and analyze data from each area. Scientists will be able to uncover previously hidden relationships between the two systems, bringing us closer to understanding, and eventually preventing and treating, the many disorders that involve both organs. The first datasets available on the platform will come from BHI-funded research projects, each exploring the interplay between brain and heart health. In its next phase, ARCHIMEDES will expand to include several other major Canadian datasets, fostering broader access, collaboration, and discovery across the national research community.
The ARCHIMEDES Co-Chairs share, “These collaborations will significantly enhance the platform’s capacity to support cross-disciplinary research and data-driven innovation in brain-heart health and beyond.”
ARCHIMEDES was built with BHI’s cross-cutting principles at the forefront, emphasizing accessibility, transparency, and equity in research. In keeping with these values, the platform is designed not only for researchers but also for patients and the broader public. The team is currently designing a public-facing ARCHIMEDES dashboard that will allow all users to explore meaningful health data and engage with ongoing research. In fact, key decisions in the development of the platform continue to be guided by the Community Partners Committee, ensuring that patient and community perspectives are integrated at every stage. This co-production model strengthens transparency, enhances accessibility, and ensures that ARCHIMEDES reflects and respects patient values.
The team is deeply committed to community outreach and national impact. On October 7th and 8th, ARCHIMEDES hosted the Canadian Health Data Platform Summit in Ottawa, bringing together leaders in health data, research, law, and community advocacy. The event convened experts and stakeholders from across the country to discuss the current state of Canada’s health data and to chart a national roadmap for improving management, governance, and storage of health data.
Importantly, the team is dedicated to integrating principles of Indigenous engagement and Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, and Sustainability (IDEAS) into the design and implementation of their platform. The team continues to seek guidance and consultation from Indigenous representatives to ensure the platform reflects Indigenous values and priorities. Furthermore, the platform was designed with accessibility in mind, enabling all users to interact with and benefit from the software in a meaningful way.
Next Steps
This fall, ARCHIMEDES reaches an exciting milestone as it officially opens to the public, inviting researchers to begin uploading their datasets to the server. The platform features clear, step-by-step guides on every aspect of data sharing, making the process easy to navigate. Alongside online tutorials and webinars, the ARCHIMEDES team will be available to offer personalized support and answer questions, ensuring a smooth start for all users as the platform launches. Those interested can visit archimedesdata.ca for detailed instructions on creating an account and to begin the onboarding process for data access or contribution.
ARCHIMEDES, originally designed as a repository and analytics platform for brain and cardiovascular health research, is envisioned to become the backbone of Canada’s national health data ecosystem. The platform aims to evolve into a federal resource that spans multiple disciplines and connects with international data initiatives, positioning ARCHIMEDES as a Canadian innovation with global impact. By centralizing and securely managing health data, ARCHIMEDES maximizes the reach, usability, and value of publicly and donor-funded research. Every dataset shared through the platform brings Canada one step closer to accelerating discoveries and improving outcomes for brain and heart health – and ultimately, for human health overall.
Explore ARCHIMEDES and stay connected with their latest updates on their website and LinkedIn page.
References
1. Tri-Agency Research Data Management Policy [Internet]. Government of Canada. 2021. Available from: https://science.gc.ca/site/science/en/interagency-research-funding/policies-and-guidelines/research-data-management/tri-agency-research-data-management-policy
2.ARCHIMEDES - Advanced Research Collaboration for Health Integration, Medical Exploration, and Data Synthesis [Internet]. ARCHIMEDES. Available from: https://archimedesdata.ca/
3. Services and Resources [Internet]. ARCHIMEDES. Available from: https://archimedesdata.ca/services-and-resources/
4. ARCHIMEDES [Internet]. LinkedIn. Available from: https://www.linkedin.com/company/archimedes-data/posts/?feedView=all