This lecture, delivered by Dr Cesar Bernabe (Amsterdam University Medical Center), introduces the role of conceptual models in the FAIRification and semantic harmonisation of health and life-science data. It explains how conceptual modelling provides a high-level, technology-independent representation of domain knowledge, enabling a shared understanding of data structures, relationships and constraints across heterogeneous sources.
The session presents the key components of conceptual models and their function as a bridge between real-world clinical and research concepts and their implementation in common data models and interoperable infrastructures. Within the HemaFAIR context, the lecture demonstrates how conceptual models support data integration, standardisation and reuse for rare disease and haemoglobinopathy research, facilitating consistent data representation and enabling downstream interoperability and federated analysis.
Learning objectives:
-Define what a conceptual model is and describe its purpose in the data lifecycle
-Explain the difference between conceptual, logical and physical data models
-Recognise how conceptual models support semantic interoperability and FAIR data
-Identify the main components of a conceptual model (entities, attributes, relationships and constraints)
-Describe how conceptual models act as a bridge towards common data models and standardised implementations
-Understand their application in rare disease and haemoglobinopathy research within the HemaFAIR framework