چکیده (انگلیسی):

Epidemiology relies on data but the divergent ways data are recorded and transferred, both within andbetween outbreaks, and the expanding range of data-types are creating an increasingly complex problemfor the discipline. There is a need for a consistent, interpretable and precise way to transfer data whilemaintaining its fidelity. We introduce ‘EpiJSON’, a new, flexible, and standards-compliant format for theinterchange of epidemiological data using JavaScript Object Notation. This format is designed to enablethe widest range of epidemiological data to be unambiguously held and transferred between people,software and institutions. In this paper, we provide a full description of the format and a discussion ofthe design decisions made. We introduce a schema enabling automatic checks of the validity of datastored as EpiJSON, which can serve as a basis for the development of additional tools. In addition, wealso present the R package ‘repijson’ which provides conversion tools between this format, line-list dataand pre-existing analysis tools. An example is given to illustrate how EpiJSON can be used to store linelist data. EpiJSON, designed around modern standards for interchange of information on the internet, issimple to implement, read and check. As such, it provides an ideal new standard for epidemiological, andother, data transfer to the fast-growing open-source platform for the analysis of disease outbreaks.Crown Copyright © 2016 Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BYlicense (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).