Human Genomes Platform Project: Federated Identity and Access Management (IAM) Discovery Phase Report

The Human Genomes Platform Project (HGPP) is an Australian nationally-funded collaborative research project aiming to enhance capability for securely and responsibly sharing human genomics research data.  National and international connectivity will maximise the utility of these sensitive and valuable assets. 

At the heart of any technology platform is identity and access management (IAM): a collection of standards, policies and technologies that enable a platform to determine whether to permit access to a user. In a federated environment such as the Australian/global genomics community, IAM is the glue that enables loosely coupled systems to establish strong trust relationships for the purposes of data sharing. 

The initial focus of the Federated IAM sub-project team was a discovery and recording phase to define the current state of identity and access management in the community, the set of problems that need to be addressed, and key stakeholders and their (likely) requirements.

The Federated IAM Discovery Phase Report (this document) records: the current state of processes and tools for identity and access management across the community, national community needs, gap analysis, and identification of international projects with components suitable to canvas and potentially pilot.This document will be used as a reference to plan the pilot for a system that addresses prioritised requirements to create a Minimum Viable Product (MVP).

The Australian human genome research community has many connections to consortia in Europe and the USA, but retains the need to work independently, according to our own national requirements and guidelines. International readers, particularly those who are outside Europe and the US, may find this discovery report useful for reference in their own human genome research data sharing program efforts.