Position Statement on Population Data Science:

Abstract

Information is increasingly digital, creating opportunities to respond to pressing issues about human populations using linked datasets that are large, complex, and diverse.

Our data, our society, our health: A vision for inclusive and transparent health data science in the United Kingdom and beyond

“…Farr's vision was encapsulated by its "#datasaveslives" tagline. The Farr sat within a growing international, interdisciplinary community of those concerned with "population data science" (ie, the science of data about people), 3 which in turn sits within the wider "Big Data" landscape of those seeking to use increasingly rich digital data for a wide variety of purposes.…”

Protocol for evaluation of enhanced models of primary care in the management of stroke and other chronic disease (PRECISE)

“…If these primary care items are shown to be effective, our findings will have a great potential to modify uptake and facilitate expansion of these programs by government. The methods, analyses and breadth of datasets employed for this project will help advance the use of data linkage for healthcare evaluation [50].…”

Views on social media and its linkage to longitudinal data from two generations of a UK cohort study

“…Whilst such data sources present exciting possibilities, organisations and those working in the emerging population data science field are conscious of the need to understand public views and expectations around the novel use of such data in research 7,8 , and that a process of public/participant dialogue is needed to ensure new activities do not undermine trust in the study and can be seen to provide public benefits 9 . Within the UK the failure of the care.data program is cited as a reminder that even where data science initiatives are legal and technically feasible they can still fail if they lack the 'social licence' needed for public and key stakeholder support 10 .…”