15 September 2025

IOATLAS: scanning across the medical horizon

We created IOAtlas, a free-to-access online tool to help researchers build capacity within Horizon Scanning projects by delivering a standardized glossary of terminology for data and intelligence, a data extraction template generator and suggested search sources.

We aimed to reduce time-consuming and resource-intensive ad-hoc selection of relevant data points and remove heterogeneity in Horizon Scanning processes for health technologies. To address this, we created a data glossary based on four years’ worth of horizon scans conducted by the innovation observatory. We mapped the data points from these scans to time horizons and type of scan. This allowed us to create a function to generate tailored data extraction templates. Finally, we created a repository of sources, linked again to time horizon and type of scan in order to provide suggested search sources alongside the templates. We tied these resources together in IOAtlas, a free-to-access online web app.

https://ioatlas.nihrio.com/

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