Table 2.

Descriptive dimensions of biobanks and health databases

Category	Questions to be asked
Content	What kind of data and/or materials are stored in the database/bank?
Personal data relationships	Can relevant demographic and familial relations be inferred directly from the data? (eg, genetic and genomic data sets, genealogical databases, etc.)
Intended uses of the data	Is the primary intended use of the data biomedical research, or something else? Does data use aim to create public benefits? What are the commercial stakes and interests?
Security standards	What are the security standards (eg, cloud-based databases with data located at participating institutions; data centralized in data safe havens; access control policy)?
Actual uses of the data	Who is using the data, and for what purposes?
Mode of governance	Who can populate the database? Who can access data? Who decides on access? Is there transparency on these decisions, and on how these decisions are made?