Frequently Asked Questions

What data is available on BDC-PIC-SURE?

To check which studies are available, you can visit the Data Dashboard on the BDC-PIC-SURE website: https://picsure.biodatacatalyst.nhlbi.nih.gov/dashboard

BDC continually ingests new datasets and updated versions of studies. If you don't see a dataset that you'd like to use for research, you can submit a BDC HelpDesk ticket.

How is the data organized in BDC-PIC-SURE?

Each variable from each study is associated with a specific concept path. To learn more about how these concepts paths are created, please refer to the Data Organization in BDC-PIC-SURE page.

How do I get access to data?

BioData Catalyst uses the Database of Genotypes and Phenotypes, or dbGaP, to manage data access. This means that to access a controlled dataset on BDC, you must have an active dbGaP Data Access Request, or DAR.

Note that BDC has publicly available studies, such as 1000 Genomes and BioLINCC training datasets, available to all researchers.

You can check out the BDC Documentation for Data Access for more information about data access on BDC.

For information from dbGaP on submitting a data access request, refer to Tips for Preparing a Successful Data Access Request documentation.

What can I do if I don't have authorization to access any datasets?

You can still browse all studies available in BDC using BDC-PIC-SURE. With this tool, you can search for variables, apply filters, and conduct feasibility studies to determine which datasets work for your research. Please refer to the Browse All Data page for more information about this.

Additionally, you can use one of the publicly available datasets on BDC. All investigators have access to these studies. These can be great for understanding BDC-PIC-SURE exports and setting up your analysis tools and workflows, especially while waiting for data access. To learn more about the publicly available datasets in BDC-PIC-SURE, please go to the Publicly Available Datasets page.

What does the data look like when I export the cohort?

The participant-level data exported from PIC-SURE is formatted so that each column is a variable and each row is a participant.

Variables that were either filtered on or added for analysis will be displayed in the table's columns. Note that a few PIC-SURE-generated variables are automatically included with each export.

Each row pertains to a participant who was part of the filtered cohort.

How can I analyze my results in an analysis platform in BioData Catalyst?

There are a few ways to bring the selected participant-level data from BDC-PIC-SURE into one of the BDC analysis platforms, BDC-Seven Bridges or BDC-Terra. To learn more about this, please refer to the Analysis in the BioData Catalyst Ecosystem page.