Care Economy Data Portal
A central research data platform for Australia's health and social care sectors, built for the Care Economy Research Institute at La Trobe University.
The problem
Research data across Australia's care economy was fragmented across institutions and formats, making it hard for researchers, policymakers and practitioners to find what already existed.
The Care Economy Research Institute needed a single place to manage, discover and share data assets spanning the health and social care sectors.
What I built
As part of the Intersect team, I helped translate CERI's vision into a working platform that aggregates diverse datasets into one centralised space — letting users search data collections, upload and download data files, and collaborate through real-time commenting on datasets.
I designed and implemented the portal architecture, building a backend capable of managing complex metadata and serving advanced search queries with efficient indexing and retrieval across varied data types.
I implemented CERI's Version 5 metadata schema, working closely with domain experts to capture care economy data attributes and make use of controlled vocabularies, and ensured alignment with international data standards including DataCite.
The interface was designed for simplicity and efficient data discovery, integrated with La Trobe University's design system and built to its accessibility policies.
Outcome
The portal directly addresses the fragmentation problem in the care economy, improving data discoverability, research efficiency and collaboration, and supporting evidence-based policy-making.
It was enthusiastically received by CERI, with stakeholders praising its role in advancing research and driving positive impact across Australia's care sector.
Stack
Python · Flask · advanced search and metadata indexing · DataCite · La Trobe design system · ElasticSearch