Project roadmap

[jeanpaulrsoucy]

It has come time to define the final scope of the project and set a roadmap before the project is concluded.

Data reporting ended December 31, 2023. Some datasets received retroactive data updates as late as April 12, 2024, but no new data were reported after the end of 2023.

Roadmap

Existing datasets

• Maintenance of existing datasets (end date: TBD)
• Audit of historical datasets (Audit of historical datasets #118)
• Add alternate PT-level datasets for cases/deaths where they offer superior accuracy/temporal resolution compared to aggregated HR-level data (Alternative PT-level time series #120)
• Add metadata to existing datasets (Metadata regarding differences in definitions over time/between jurisdictions #37)
• Update vaccine administration dataset (Add vaccine administration data #47)
• Update vaccine coverage dataset (Add vaccine coverage data #21)
• Update QC vaccine administration/coverage datasets (QC is no longer reporting compatible vaccine coverage/administration data #79)

Additional datasets

• Vaccine distribution (Add vaccine distribution data #22)
• Add a dataset adapted from PHAC's individual case dataset (Add data from individual-level case dataset #75)
• Extra dataset for alternative hospital/ICU data (Extra dataset for alternative hospital/ICU data #125)
• Extra dataset: Excess deaths (Extra dataset: Excess deaths #126)
• Extra dataset: Wastewater data (Extra dataset: wastewater data #127)

Additional processing of data

• Add additional population-adjusted datasets (Add population-adjusted datasets #112)
• Add JSON mirror of datasets (Add JSON mirror of datasets #122)

Documentation

• More compact and informative README #93

Other: Long term

• Update names of hospitalization and ICU data (hosp_occupancy and icu_occupancy) (Rename hospital/ICU occupancy values #132)
• Attempt to update NB death time series to account for correction on 2022-10-18; verify if PHAC dataset has corrected bump on 2022-12-17 (originally discussed in Revision of NB deaths #80) (Audit of historical datasets #118)

Roadmap: Rejected ideas

Some ideas that have been proposed over time are unfortunately beyond the scope of what I am able to do with the time and resources I have. If time/money/personnel became available in the future, these ideas could be reconsidered, but for now these issues will be closed.

Additional processing of data

• Report data should indicate which dates the data actually received updates #68
  • This would be a useful addition, but it would take a tremendous amount of work that would likely require individual attention to each input dataset. It would be feasible to automate this for archive_ts-type datasets, but many of these would have to be redone since they have been preprocessed into filled time series using helper_ts.
• Postprocessing of raw data #1
  • Additional postprocessing over raw data to remove impossible values would be useful, but creates its own problems. Better to document the existence of impossible values and explain some reasons for them. (More compact and informative README #93)

Extending existing datasets

• Hospitalization data for NB #69
  • Collectively, Horizon Health Network and Vitalité Health Network should represent the total hospital and ICU occupancy values for COVID-19 in NB. The province stopped reporting this value in December 2022, whereas the two health networks continue to report it. However, at the end of the provincial time series, hospital occupancy numbers seemingly included only "for" COVID, whereas the Health Network values have always included "with" and "for". In addition to being a lot of effort to collect historical values, it would be jarring to switch back to the more expansive definition.

Additional sub-HR datasets

• Add NT sub-hr dataset #13
• Update NL vaccine calculations Covid19CanadaDataProcess#42
• Add support for sub-hr data Covid19CanadaETL#42

Other additional datasets

• Vaccination in last 6 months (Add new value: in the last 6 months, completed the primary series or received a booster dose #91)
  • This metric was reported for less than a year (2022-08-14 to 2023-06-18) and so is de-prioritized
• Consider adding age-structured case, vaccination, and death data #44
• Consider adding seroprevalence data #45
• Create function to create vaccine coverage data from dose administration data Covid19CanadaETL#48
  • This would be useful, but a significant undertaking for limited gain. The exception could be Quebec (QC is no longer reporting compatible vaccine coverage/administration data #79), but it would be much simpler to simply ensure that the QC dataset drops out gracefully at the appropriate time.
• Alternative sources of data #19
  • Alternative sources of data other than mainline, government-reported metrics would be interesting, but beyond the scope of this project
• Variant data (Add variant data #70)
  • I could add a Canada-level variant time series from archived versions of the PHAC dataset (909a7c17-2773-4536-add4-717b59deea4c), although it has changed format at least once. The "other" category may also pose an issue, particularly if it gets redefined over time (or retroactively).