Key points
- DIBBs are free tools that help users get the most from their data and save time.
- More user-friendly data means easier case investigations and data analysis.
- This page provides a general overview of DIBBs.
What Are DIBBs?
DIBBs are customizable, cloud-based tools that can be set up as a system to clean, transform, and enhance data. DIBBs automate data processes, reducing manual work and speeding up public health response.
CDC offers free, cloud-based tools that public health organizations can build into current processes to handle various data sources and formats. Although our products work with many types of data, we have focused on the usability of electronic case reporting (eCR) data to maximize its usefulness. Our products offer the following benefits for public health organizations:
- Improved, higher quality data to enable timely public health action
- Time saved for public health staff by reducing manual tasks
- Easier case investigation and analysis with more user-friendly data
- Automated data processing that simplifies data workflows
- Flexible cloud deployment options, including free central hosting through CDC
Who Uses DIBBs?
DIBBs are built for public health organizations that want to make their data easier to use and save time for their staff when investigating cases and analyzing information. CDC works with state, tribal, local, and territorial public health organizations to solve their toughest data challenges.
Our Products
Our open-source, customer-centered products feature modular software to solve complex data challenges in public health jurisdictions. Depending on their needs, users can choose turnkey or customizable versions of the tools.
eCR Parser: Extracts de-identified data from eCR messages based on user-defined rules and saves it as a simple JSON file for easy analysis
eCR Refiner: Condenses eCR files to essential information, improving system performance and storage while highlighting relevant data for specific diseases
eCR Viewer: A user-friendly tool that helps epidemiologists and investigators quickly understand eCR data
Query Connector: Lets public health staff search a wide network of healthcare organizations for disease data, providing more comprehensive and up-to-date information
FHIR® Converter: Converts incoming messages into the FHIR (Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources) standard, which acts as a common language between data streams
Flat Formatter: Extracts relevant data from a given healthcare message and exports the data into a JSON file based on a user-defined parsing schema
Geocoding: Enriches data by providing precise geographic locations based on patient street addresses from input data
Orchestration: Enables coordinated execution of DIBBs in any order, allowing for fully automated workflows
PHDC Converter: Converts a FHIR bundle to the Public Health Document Container (PHDC) format for ingestion into the National Electronic Disease Surveillance System (NEDSS) Base System (NBS)
Record Linkage: Identifies multiple records referring to the same individual and combines them into a single, more complete patient record
Standardization: Standardizes data fields (including record name, date of birth, phone number, and geolocation) based on preset defaults to ensure consistency
Validation: Reads and validates all eCR fields of interest based on custom preferences; ensures that its XML structure is valid, that the required fields are present and in the correct format, and that the data is trustworthy
Technical Resources
CDC is ready to support public health jurisdictions through the process of implementation, customization, and use of our products. Available technical resources include an overview of hosting options and a glossary of DIBBs terminology, at our main web hub.
Hosting Options
With this option, CDC may help cover the cost of hosting and handles product maintenance, enabling jurisdictions to get set up with our tools quickly and at little cost. Any software updates made by CDC will also be automated through CDC. Although the centrally hosted option is maintained by CDC, your data will remain private and secure.
The CDC-hosted environment has undergone a rigorous CDC and Federal IT requirements assessment and has successfully achieved Authority to Operate (ATO) approval, after meeting security and privacy requirements for protecting sensitive health information and ensuring the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of data.
CDC offers an integration service for public health jurisdictions to host our products locally. With this option, jurisdictions can manage their own data privacy and security but would pay for the full cost of hosting. While CDC offers initial installation and integration support, as well as limited ongoing product support, the jurisdiction retains primary responsibility for product maintenance and software updates.
Connect with DIBBs
Want to start working with DIBBs products right away but unsure where to start?
Want to schedule an informational call to see how DIBBs products can fit into your jurisdiction's data workflows?
Get in touch with our team at dibbs@cdc.gov, and we can work together to meet your public health data needs.
Learn More
Want to learn more about how DIBBs products can help solve your public health data challenges? Visit our main web hub.
Test Our Products
Interested in testing DIBBs products in your data environment? Check out our open-source repository.