The development of the Human Health Exposure Analysis Resource (HHEAR) Data Repository for environmental epidemiology research

Implementation of the exposome paradigm is a critical aspect of the next generation of environmental health research studies. To spur exposomics research, the U.S.-based Human Health Exposure Analysis Resource (HHEAR) provided scientific investigators access to both laboratory and statistical analyses aimed at incorporating and expanding the breadth of biological markers of environmental exposures within their research. To extend the benefits of this program to the broader scientific community, the HHEAR Data Center established a public data repository to facilitate pooling and sharing of data generated by the HHEAR program. All HHEAR investigators deposited epidemiologic data on study participants, to accompany the biomarkers of exposure generated by the HHEAR laboratories. The latest semantic technologies are used to efficiently conduct data standardization across studies and promote data sharing by aligning the repository with the FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) data principles. This includes standardizing individual study data to a common ontology and representing data within a knowledge graph. A clear user interface enables search, construction, and download of customized datasets and maintenance of provenance through use of digital object identifiers. The repository will eventually contain information from 35,989 individuals across 55 environmental health studies, including data on biomarkers of environmental exposures, sociodemographics, health outcomes, and physical and mental assessments. All data are freely downloadable for reuse after a brief application for data access. Designed to support cutting-edge research and education, the HHEAR Data Repository provides a rich, harmonized resource of exposure biomarkers and corresponding health data from diverse study populations.