Develop faster using Open Data

Sometimes the software development process is hampered by a lack of realistic data to use as a baseline for what users of your software will encounter in daily life.

Let’s use Open Data from the US Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) as an example. In the case of a medical device company, your software may be required to either ingest Open Data and/or generate documents that will become Open Data once submitted to the FDA.

Open Data as Input

A med tech company needs to have access to many types of Open Data from the FDA. From competitors’ previous submissions to FDA’s clearance documents to (its own and others’) adverse event reports.

Beyond the FDA, the med tech company also needs to access information about Medicare reimbursement to evaluate their competitors’ market presence.

Open Data as Output

On the other side, your software may be used to generate documents (such as labels, Instructions for Use, even full submissions) that your customers submit to the FDA. The FDA, in turn, will release most or all of those documents back out to the public as Open Data.

From Tighter Requirements to Effective Code Sprints

Thus, understanding and using Open Data internally will be very useful to different stakeholders in your organization:
* Product Managers – better understand your customers’ Open Data input and output needs
* Developers – tap into the very same Open Data your customers use to improve their development process