Grid-Enabled Measures

Grid-Enabled Measures (GEM) is an initiative of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) National Cancer Institute (NCI). GEM is a web-based collaborative platform and database enabling researchers to exchange harmonized data about behavioral constructs, measures, and datasets.[1][2]

GEM has two goals:

1. "Promote use of standardized measures which are tied to theoretically based constructs" and
2. "Facilitate sharing of harmonized data resulting from the use of standardized measures".[1]

GEM has been proposed as part of the solution to the problem of tracking constructs in electronic medical records[3] and for control of construct proliferation.[4]

GEM has been recognized in the academic literature as an instantiation of cyberinfrastructure for research standardization,[5] a tool for dialogue and consensus building,[6] a tool to facilitate use of linked data and interoperable data systems,[7] and in case reports of expert panel measure categorizations.[8] The GEM database, uses “web 2.0” functionality to solicit, comment, vet, and select measures from the behavioral and population science communities in open and transparent ways.[1] Scientists are taking advantage of information sharing and collaboration made possible by networking technologies. This new phenomenon is referred to by some as Science 2.0.[1] As Science 2.0[9] gains momentum in the science community, giving a glimpse of future scientific publishing and data sharing, the GEM database is distinct in that it uses these functionalities to help scientists facilitate discovery in a massively connected and participative environment.