The sensitive nature of much health information results in silos of data in local or secure environments, but modern data science depends on data aggregations of considerable scale and integration. Applying techniques like machine learning to sensitive data across multiple secure data repositories for national-scale health insights creates challenges that require national coordination and capability.
The ARDC is delivering national infrastructure capability to support advanced analytics and AI in health research through the People Research Data Commons (People RDC). The program has progressed from foundational design into active infrastructure delivery and capability building.
Our approach to uplifting advanced analytics in healthcare has 2 phases:
The Framework Development Phase took place in the first half of 2024. It involved co-designing a national framework, the specification and reference architecture for national infrastructure to support AI and other analytics in health research.
Two activities were carried out:
Building on the completed foundation work, the program is now developing national infrastructure, tools and coordination aligned to the reference architecture. These will prepare us for infrastructure development on multiple fronts simultaneously, affording flexibility and minimising critical paths. Projects include:
The implementation of the roadmap over the next 2 years will create a long-lasting, safe, and flexible AI-enabled research infrastructure with:
In health analytics, patient privacy is fundamental. The program includes secure underpinning cloud and privacy preserving technology. These will be supported by social and technical resources like training pathways, governance, co-developed standards, frameworks, guidelines, facilitations and communities of practice. The system will support analysis, modelling and decision-support tools in a variety of disease areas with measurable diagnostic improvements, as well as an ecosystem of engaged key partners for knowledge sharing to influence policy and systemic behavioural change.
Collaboration now focuses on participation in active infrastructure projects, adoption of shared tools and architectures, and building national communities of practice around advanced analytics and AI.
We invite you to register your interest in the People RDC and keep in touch with us through public consultations.
The program will deliver a coordinated national capability to enable secure, scalable and responsible use of advanced analytics and AI in health research. The program has delivered foundational outcomes and is now enabling active infrastructure development and adoption across the sector:
Two projects completed in 2024 established the technical, governance and community foundations for national-scale advanced analytics in healthcare.
These completed projects directly underpin infrastructure we are developing through the Advanced Analytics in Healthcare program, including:
Together, these outcomes support faster, safer and more coordinated use of advanced analytics and AI to improve health research and translation.
