FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

About ARCHIMEDES

ARCHIMEDES (Advanced Research Collaboration for Health Integration, MEDical Exploration, and data Synthesis) is a digital health platform that ingests, manages, and/or releases Data Sets for research purposes including: biostatistical analyses, predictive modelling, data visualization and artificial intelligence. It also provides a High-Performance Computing (HPC) environment, through which users can analyze ARCHIMEDES data.

ARCHIMEDES is a health research data platform built on more than 20 years of experience in brain research data systems and high-performance computing. It brings together trusted technologies and platforms of LORIS, Canadian Open Neuroscience Platform (CONP), and C-BIG to create a secure, scalable, and comprehensive research infrastructure. While its foundational technologies originated in neuroscience, ARCHIMEDES is designed to support all health research domains.

ARCHIMEDES is a joint scientific initiative led by the University of Ottawa Heart Institute (UOHI), the University of Ottawa (uOttawa), and McGill University (McGill). The Ottawa Heart Institute Research Corporation (OHIRC) acts as the data steward for ARCHIMEDES data and implements and oversees ARCHIMEDES data governance practices. It is responsible for administering ARCHIMEDES’ data use, contribution and access requirements, as well as approving data contribution and access in a manner that is consistent with applicable law and the ARCHIMEDES Data Governance Framework.

Our vision is to provide a bilingual national health data platform that provides centralized and flexible access to curated health research data, which can be analyzed using state-of-the-art distributed computing tools. ARCHIMEDES is equipped to Ingest all health data including multimodal health data (e.g., behavioural data, imaging data, wearables data).

ARCHIMEDES operates as a centralized platform where data are securely stored and accessed in ways that respect to participant consent, privacy laws, and research ethics requirements (e.g. Tri-Council Policy Statement: Ethical Conduct for Research Involving Humans – TCPS 2).

ARCHIMEDES offers:

  • Curation: Data are reviewed and organized to make them easier for researchers to access and use appropriately.
  • Findability: Researchers can perform powerful, granular searches to gather data across diverse datasets.
  • Integrated analysis: ARCHIMEDES combines data storage and HPC capabilities, providing a seamless transition from data discovery to computation.
  • Compliance with privacy and data protection requirements: The platform respects institutional, provincial, and federal privacy and data protection requirements. 

Types of Data and Access

ARCHIMEDES hosts curated, multi-modal health research data including, imaging, clinical and behavioural, time series (wearable), omics data (genomics, proteomics, transcriptomics, metabolomics) and summary biospecimen data. This includes both data from human research participants and non-human research data (i.e., pre-clinical data).

  • Controlled Access: Controlled Access data are only available to approved researchers for specific research projects. Researchers must apply for access and agree to follow privacy, ethics, and data use requirements before using the data. ARCHIMEDES allows for codedDirect identifiers are removed from the data and replaced with a code. If the Principal Investigator retains a list that links the research participants’ code with their actual names, it remains possible to re-identify specific participants (e.g., for the purposes of participant withdrawal). ARCHIMEDES treats coded data like personal information, to which data protection laws continue to apply. data, de-identifiedInformation is removed that identifies an individual or could be used (alone or with other information) to identify an individual based on what is reasonably foreseeable in the circumstances. In practice, de-identification is the process of transforming identifiers in a dataset so that the risk of re-identification is very low. data, and pre-clinical data through Controlled Access.
  • Open Access: Open Access data are made openly available to anyone through ARCHIMEDES on a public website. ARCHIMEDES allows for de-identifiedInformation is removed that identifies an individual or could be used (alone or with other information) to identify an individual based on what is reasonably foreseeable in the circumstances. In practice, de-identification is the process of transforming identifiers in a dataset so that the risk of re-identification is very low. data and pre-clinical data through Open Access.

Data Contribution

All research organizations, including universities, hospitals, nonprofits, and for-profit companies in Canada and internationally may contribute data after signing a Data Contribution Agreement (DCA).

Generally, yes. Informed consent from the research participant serves as the primary authorization that justifies data contribution. Consent is not required if:
  1. a Research Ethics Board grants a waiver of the informed consent requirement,
  2. data are de-identifiedInformation is removed that identifies an individual or could be used (alone or with other information) to identify an individual based on what is reasonably foreseeable in the circumstances. In practice, de-identification is the process of transforming identifiers in a dataset so that the risk of re-identification is very low.,
  3. an applicable local law authorizes data release, or
  4. data are not human research participants data (i.e., is pre-clinical data).
Informed Consent Forms (ICFs): The document through which research participants provide their express informed consent to participate in a research study. For Controlled Access data, the Informed Consent Form must, at a minimum, incorporate the Core Permissions. For Open Access data, the Informed Consent Form must use the ARCHIMEDES Consent Form Templates.

Data contributors remain accountable for ensuring that data are shared only with the required permissions and approvals, in compliance with appropriate laws and bioethics requirements.

There are 3 types of data that can be contributed on ARCHIMEDES:
  1. Coded data: Data must have (i) an ethics approval and informed consent that authorize sharing, (ii) an ethics waiver of informed consent requirement, or (iii) another legal authorization. All direct identifiers (e.g., names, social insurance numbers) must be removed and replaced with a unique code prior to contribution.
  2. De-identified data: Data can be shared if it is de-identified (or local equivalent). This requires that all direct identifiers and most indirect identifiers be removed or transformed to reduce the risk of re-identification to a very low level, in accordance with recognized standards and applicable legal and ethical requirements.
  3. Pre-clinical data: Data can be shared if it does not, nor did it ever, constitute data relating to human research participants, or identifiable personal data, according to applicable research ethics requirements and data protection laws.
A Data Contribution Agreement (DCA) is required to use your account and contribute data to ARCHIMEDES. A DCA is needed only once per institution, not for each project contribution. Once your institution has a DCA, you will be able to log in to your account and contribute data.
  • Step 1: Create your ARCHIMEDES account
    • Step 1a. Your Account Request is Reviewed
    • Step 1b. Check Your Institutional Inbox
  • Step 2: Create a New Project
    • Step 2a. Agree to the Data Contribution Terms of Use
    • Step 2b. Data Access Committee (DAC) Review and Approval
  • Step 3: Upload Data
  • Step 4: Data are Released
To learn more about the steps to contribute data to ARCHIMEDES, see page 2 of the ARCHIMEDES User Information Package.

Data Access

Data released in Open Access are made openly available through ARCHIMEDES, on a public website that anyone can access.  

Step 1: Agree to the Data Access Terms of Use  

To access controlled data on ARCHIMEDES, one of the following is required: An Institutional Data Access Agreement (I-DAA) that must only be created once per institution and will provide controlled access to all Principal Investigators (PIs)The lead researcher responsible for the design, execution, and overall management of a Research Project. This role is central to ensuring the scientific integrity, regulatory compliance, and ethical conduct of the study. The PI is affiliated with a Data User or Data Contributor and authorized to act as an agent of the Data User or Data Contributor for the purpose of data contribution and/or access. from your institution for any requests of controlled data. OR A single-use Data Access Agreement (DAA) that is created directly by a Principal Investigator (PI)The lead researcher responsible for the design, execution, and overall management of a Research Project. This role is central to ensuring the scientific integrity, regulatory compliance, and ethical conduct of the study. The PI is affiliated with a Data User or Data Contributor and authorized to act as an agent of the Data User or Data Contributor for the purpose of data contribution and/or access. and governs access for a single data request. These must be completed for each request of data. This agreement only needs to be submitted along with a request of data if your institution does NOT already have an I-DAA in place.
  • Step 1: Create your ARCHIMEDES account
    • Step 1a. Your Account Request is Reviewed
    • Step 1b. Check Your Institutional Inbox
  • Step 2: Complete a Data Access Request (DAR)
    • Step 2a. Agree to the Data Access Terms of Use
    • Step 2b. Obtain Review and Approval
  • Step 3: Data are Released
To learn more about the steps to access controlled data see page 4 of the ARCHIMEDES User Information Package .

Data access approvals are valid for up to three years, after which renewal is required. In some cases, approvals may be granted for a shorter period if the supporting research ethics approval expires sooner.

Yes, approved users may download data for local analysis or use ARCHIMEDES High-Performance Computing (HPC) resources. ARCHIMEDES also supports Analytical Tools for use within its computing environment.

Yes, core permissions allow commercial and non-commercial research use. Commercialization of downstream research outputs is permitted. However, the sale of ARCHIMEDES data is prohibited.

ARCHIMEDES data are subject to limits on their use, which protect research participants and facilitate compliance with legal and bioethics requirements.

  • The data can only be used for research purposes. Non-research uses, such as product marketing, the provision of clinical care to a patient, or use by insurance companies and law enforcement agencies, are prohibited.
  • Uses that could lead to the re-identification of research participants, their families, or members of their community are prohibited.
  • Uses likely to stigmatize research participants, their families, or their communities are prohibited.
  • The introduction of the data to another external biobank or data repository is prohibited.

Researcher Participants

Participants may request withdrawal through the original study team, who will notify the ARCHIMEDES team of the request. Requests to withdraw Data Sets can be made at the level of the Data Set (i.e., requesting the withdrawal of the entire Data Set) or at the level of the individual record. Withdrawal is not always possible if data have already been used or published as part of a research study, or if linkage logs that enable the identification of research participants are no longer available. If data have already been accessed, downloaded, used in analyses, or included in publications or derived outputs, ARCHIMEDES cannot retract or control those downstream uses.

Participants may request withdrawal through the original study team, who will notify the ARCHIMEDES team of the request. Requests to withdraw Data Sets can be made at the level of the Data Set (i.e., requesting the withdrawal of the entire Data Set) or at the level of the individual record. Withdrawal is not always possible if data have already been used or published as part of a research study, or if linkage logs that enable the identification of research participants are no longer available. If data have already been accessed, downloaded, used in analyses, or included in publications or derived outputs, ARCHIMEDES cannot retract or control those downstream uses.

Privacy and Ethics

All human participant data must have direct identifiers removed before contribution and must meet the applicable requirements for coded or de-identifiedInformation is removed that identifies an individual or could be used (alone or with other information) to identify an individual based on what is reasonably foreseeable in the circumstances. In practice, de-identification is the process of transforming identifiers in a dataset so that the risk of re-identification is very low. data and have the necessary Core Permissions for sharing, before being uploaded to ARCHIMEDES. This means all direct identifiers (e.g. names, social insurance numbers) are removed and replaced with a code. Beyond coding, data may be de-identifiedInformation is removed that identifies an individual or could be used (alone or with other information) to identify an individual based on what is reasonably foreseeable in the circumstances. In practice, de-identification is the process of transforming identifiers in a dataset so that the risk of re-identification is very low. to further reduce the risk of re-identification and/or to comply with bioethics or legal requirements, and with ARCHIMEDES policies. Once in ARCHIMEDES, data are protected by technical and administrative safeguards, including the following:
  • For applicable datasets, automated tools are used during data ingestion and prior to data release to help identify common direct and indirect identifiers. Additional review and validation processes may also be applied depending on the type of data and access tier.
  • Additional de-identification and validation steps may be applied prior to data release, depending on the selected access tier and the type of the data.
  • The ARCHIMEDES Data Access Committee (DAC) reviews and approves data contribution and data access requests, confirming compliance with ARCHIMEDES data contribution and access policies.
  • ARCHIMEDES personnel receive privacy training that is appropriate to their roles and functions.
  • The ARCHIMEDES platform has completed formal, externally conducted audits including a Threat Risk Assessment (TRA) and a Privacy Impact Assessments (PIA) to evaluate the appropriate handling of personal data, reduce re-identification risks, and ensure the sufficiency of the implemented technical and administrative safeguards.
  • Final responsibility for this removal and assessing and managing re-identification risk and ensuring research participants are adequately informed rests with the Institutional Data Contributor and its Principal Investigator (PI)The lead researcher responsible for the design, execution, and overall management of a Research Project. This role is central to ensuring the scientific integrity, regulatory compliance, and ethical conduct of the study. The PI is affiliated with a Data User or Data Contributor and authorized to act as an agent of the Data User or Data Contributor for the purpose of data contribution and/or access..

Security and Reliability

McGill University provides the technical infrastructure for ARCHIMEDES. Its data are hosted on secure McGill servers after encrypted transfer and are protected using both tiered data access and access controls based on user roles and permissions. Datasets may be temporarily hosted on Digital Research Alliance of Canada (DRAC) high-performance computing (HPC) infrastructure and accessed by a small number of ARCHIMEDES technical team members responsible for data management, curation, and platform administration.

Breaches must immediately be reported to The Ottawa Heart Institute Research Corporation (OHIRC) Privacy Office. If a data breach is confirmed, the OHIRC Privacy Office coordinates the response by notifying relevant internal teams and informing the affected Data Contributor(s). This step ensures that Data Contributors receive the necessary details about the breach, including the datasets involved and recommended follow-up actions. OHIRC and McGill may remove a dataset from the platform or take away access if governance requirements are breached.

Where required, the OHIRC Privacy Office will also notify applicable regulatory authorities. The scope of participant notification is determined based on the OHIRC Privacy Office’s assessment and applicable legal requirements. The original data contributor, as the data custodian, is responsible for communicating with affected research participants.

ARCHIMEDES personnel are bound to the same data breach management processes, reporting breaches to the OHIRC Privacy Office and data contributors and implementing breach mitigation measures.

ARCHIMEDES Open Science Alignment

ARCHIMEDES aligns with open science principles, defined by UNESCO as practices that make scientific research accessible to all for the benefit of society, by promoting transparency, accessibility, and responsible data use.

ARCHIMDEDES users are encouraged to use open and accessible publication practices, including the use of preprints and open-access journals, and supports the responsible return of aggregate research findings where appropriate. In addition, ARCHIMEDES incorporates patient and community representation into its governance processes to ensure alignment with public values and priorities.

ARCHIMEDES does not claim ownership over contributed data. Contributors and users may claim IP in future research discoveries and results. However, all parties are prohibited from claiming IP rights that would access to and use of ARCHIMEDES and the data it hosts.

ARCHIMEDES requires researchers to appropriately reference ARCHIMEDES and to report findings back to the community to support accountability and public trust.

Help and Support

Yes. For questions concerning governance/ethics, contact the Ethics Helpdesk at [email protected]. For account/access issues, contact the general ARCHIMEDES support email: [email protected]

Learn more about our resources, including the data sharing consent templates.  

View the ARCHIMEDES Data Governance Framework. 

Our Partners and Funders

ARCHIMEDES collaborates with leading institutions to advance health research. 
Our partners provide expertise, data, and tools to drive innovation and accelerate scientific discovery.

This platform is funded by Canada First Research Excellence Fund for the Brain-Heart Interconnectome (CFREF-2022-00007).