World of Unstructured Clinical Research Data


The world of bio-sciences related research relies on data mostly of the unstructured type just as much or maybe even more than any other field - such as machine learning or AI. This blog post has done a tremendous job of laying in simple terms the challenges ahead for any one working in clinical trials and clinical research areas. The thought leaders are now working with companies such as plexome.com which have solutions that can help a clinical researcher navigate the treacherous waters with a platform with the following features.
  1. Better data storage options: There are a lot more options available to institutions today enabling data storage of both structured and unstructured data in a manner that efficiently leverages methods for processing and analyzing across the combined data-pool. Cloud platforms have made this an easier and more economical option for institutions of all types and sizes.
  2. More efficient opportunities for integration: A federated approach is often an efficient option to be able to leverage data across multiple sources while allowing the individual systems to remain optimized to address their respective functions. Opportunities for system integration has increased across the board, helped in part by more widespread availability of Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) and continuing evolution of global data exchange standards. 
  3. Improved data processing technologies: Newer storage and processing technologies for Big Data e.g. Optical Character Recognition (OCR), Natural Language Processing (NLP), machine learning and others, make it easier to rapidly process large amounts of data while also integrating patterns and information from unstructured data into decision-making pathways and other analytical solutions.

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