Understand Terms

This glossary was developed to provide a common lexicon for data and surveillance related terms to facilitate strategic planning, communication, and collaboration within the Corporate Data and Surveillance Branch (CDSB). In absence of a comprehensive glossary at PHAC that considers the nexus between surveillance and other related areas, this glossary was developed to serve as an Agency wide resource that will be internally accessible to all staff through mySOURCE. 

The purpose of this survey is to identify the most preferred definition for each term and concept in the glossary by collecting feedback from CDSB staff and surveillance subject matter experts across PHAC. This will be determined through our pre-established threshold for decision making - any definition for a term or concept that receives > 60% of the votes will be selected as the final definition for the respective term or concept. This also applies to terms and concepts with one proposed definition only - if > 60% of the respondents vote for this single definition, it will be selected as the final definition. For terms and concepts where this response rate is not observed for any of its associated definitions, consensus building meetings will be held in September 2022 to discuss them further and achieve consensus.

The references for the definitions in this survey are categorized in the following format and are provided alongside each definition to help inform your selection process:

• Peer reviewed

• Government 

• PHAC

  • Data Management, Innovation, and Analysis (DMIA), in CDSB

• World Health Organization (WHO) 

• Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)

• Center for Disease Control (CDC)

• Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI)

• Other

The survey for this glossary is administered in four distinct parts, each of which refers to terms and concepts that map to the Detect, Understand, and Act components of the DUA continuum, and terms that cut across this continuum. The current survey focuses on terms and concepts pertaining to the Understand component. If you would like to complete the surveys for terms and concepts for the Detect and Act components, as well as terms and concepts that cut across the DUA continuum, please refer to the respective links below:

Detect

Act 

DUA continuum 

Key survey features/instructions: 

1. You must be connected to the VPN in order to complete this survey

2. Once starting the survey, you are not required to complete it all in one sitting. You are able to save and complete your answers at a later date. Please make note of the username and password you create in order to save the survey, as this information cannot be retrieved from our end.

3. If you do not agree with any of the definitions for a term or concept, please select the "no response" option

4. If you leave the tab open and the survey times out, you can re-access the survey through the original link, as it is not possible to refresh the page. 

5. You can go back and edit your answers. You must click on "Resume later" at the top right corner of the survey in order to save your responses. If the refresh happens due to time out prior to selecting "Resume later", you have to restart the survey. 

6. You are able to print your answers

7. Please complete the survey by COB Friday, September 2, 2022