Flat File Questions

[Rick Zaccone]

Sorry to bring up the flat file again, but this still isn't clear to me.

Should our app be using information from both Surescripts and the flat file? My initial reading of the requirements was that the flat file would duplicate the information from Surescripts and thus it wouldn't be necessary to use the flat file. After reading the comments on the mailing list, some people seem to think that we should be getting information from both sources and merging them. Would you please clarify this for me? If we do need the flat file, where should we expect to find it? Is it possible that it will move?

Rick

[Jean-Luc Neptune, MD MBA - Health 2.0]

Hi Rick -

In response...the app is required to use information from both Surescripts and the flat file.  They are not duplicative, although they use the same data fields.

The flat file can be found here and probably won't move: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccckey=0Ava71fiLGwS0dDZxTEp3WklzZkN4dnRnUkotSDhZU3c#gid=4

Hope that helps.  Please let me know if you have any questions.

JL

[Alexander Blair]

Dear Dr. Neptune,

Are we expected to have integrated the flat file with our submission or are we expected to work it in if selected as a finalist?

Thank you,

Alex

[Jean-Luc Neptune, MD MBA - Health 2.0]

Alex - You should have integrated the flat file with your submission. You'll definitely need to demonstrate that if you are selected as a finalist. JL
---------------------------------------
Jean-Luc Neptune, MD MBA
Senior Vice President, Health 2.0
j...@health2con.com
www.jeanlucneptune.com
646-734-2320

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[silverfox]

I don't think the flat file was thought out very well.  For a production system, a flat file would not likely be used.  Instead the information should be stored in a Geo-spatial indexed database. HHS/ONC should have just placed the information in such a system and had folks retrieve it in a similar manner to surescripts.

I developed a system very similar to SureScripts API that could be leveraged by HHS/ONC to achieve this task.  Its an open-source software that is very similar  to SimpleGeo.com.  I'm glad to share the link after the contest is over.

-SF

On Friday, November 16, 2012 7:53:15 AM UTC-5, zaccone wrote:

[Rick Zaccone]

I agree and I'm sure most of the other developers would agree too. Why can't the flat file information be merged into Surscripts? What is the rationale for keeping the flat file?

If we were using an agile process to develop this software the flat file would almost certainly disappear.

Rick

[Matt Garnes]

I have to say I that I must respectfully disagree with this sentiment. Would it be easier for us, and perhaps more efficient if both data sources were to be merged into one web service? Sure. However, that is not the problem we were asked to solve. I can't speak for Surescripts, but I have to assume that part of their agreement to provide location web services for this challenge did not include altering their web service to include the flat file data.

The Surescripts API is just one data source, and the flat file is another that comes from a totally different provider. From what I understand through reading the challenge details, the flat file data comes from organizers within the cities and communities that will be promoting the winning app. This data is then combined into the Google doc spreadsheet that we have been provided a link to. Since the two data sources are not provided by the same individuals, part of the technological problem posed to us was to solve this with our apps in a graceful way. The specifications stated from the beginning that there were two separate data sources of location providers, and I don't feel that it was unreasonable to ask that of us.

I just thought I'd throw another opinion into the mix. Please feel free to correct me if any of my assumptions were wrong.

Matt