OHDSI Technical Advisory Board (TAB) Overview

The OHDSI Technical Advisory Board (TAB) aims to guide and support the technical development of OHDSI open-source projects. Its core values are transparency, collaboration, and inclusivity, ensuring open processes, fostering innovation, and valuing diverse perspectives.

Key Objectives

Roadmap Planning
- Establish priorities for technical development across OHDSI projects.
Communication
- Ensure clear, consistent communication with the OHDSI community.
Future Planning
- Strategically plan agendas to address emerging needs and challenges.

Goals for the Year

1. Architecture Guidance

Provide technical direction for workgroups.
Increase global adoption and cloud environment support through vendor engagement.

2. Database Support Policy

Develop a global policy defining database support principles.
Address topics like dependency injection, bigint usage, and multi-platform compatibility.

3. Java Support

Transition from Java 8 to modern Long-Term Support (LTS) versions (e.g., 17, 21) to mitigate risks and ensure sustainability.

4. Security Enhancements

Introduce continuous integration (CI) features like dependency and security scanning.
Establish a compatibility matrix for component versions.

5. Broadsea Ecosystem

Improve containerization and CI/CD processes.
Enhance adoption through GitHub integration and DockerHub image availability.
Ensure compatibility and stability across platform updates.

6. Change Management

Create a roadmap for supported technologies (e.g., runtimes, database platforms, R versions).
Provide clarity on tool and CDM version compatibility.

7. Federated Learning

The TAB discussed various approaches to federated research in 2024 including:
- Strategus
- Study Packages
- Arachne
- DataShield

Action Items

Coordinate releases across workgroups for synchronized development.
Define testing database requirements for all supported software packages.
Assess CDM version support to guide tool compatibility.
Support federated analytics initiatives like Data Shield.

This high-level approach will enhance the stability, security, and global adoption of OHDSI open-source solutions.