Built By Researchers for Research
SecureData4Health
As a global scientific community, our ability to interpret and utilize the rapidly expanding genomic and health data is still at a nascent stage. To fully realize the benefits of this valuable information, we need computational frameworks, policies, and infrastructure to securely store, share and interpret it using Al and other advanced analysis tools.
A Powerful Infrastructure For The Research Community
SD4Health is a secure cloud infrastructure for analysis and sharing of genomic and health data based on the creation of a new compute node in Québec and the enhancement of HPC4Health already existing in Ontario. Together, these will form the core of a unique inter-provincial digital platform that will eventually be expanded nationally. This will allow Canada to establish its position as a world leader in the analysis and management of genomic and health data.
*Some numbers include both nodes capacity.
Projects
The SD4Health team is actively involved in a range of large-scale projects, providing comprehensive support from initial development to final deployment. Our expertise spans software solutions, including APIs and web applications, as well as facilitating the organization, discovery, and visualization of data for both large and small-scale initiatives. Below is a list of our current projects.

BQC19
BQC19 offers researchers essential biological materials and data to identify vulnerable populations, inform policies, and prepare for future pandemics.

CQDG Portal
The CQDG Portal offers researchers access to genomic data from the Quebec Genomic Data Center for exploration, analysis, and cloud-based analytics.

TFRI Marathon Of Hope QC
MOH-Q, a Quebec cancer research initiative, aims to accelerate precision medicine through genomic profiling, clinical trials, and patient involvement.

EpiShare
EpiShare aims to make epigenomic data more accessible globally. Working with IHEC and ENCODE, it’s adapting GA4GH tools to simplify data access, sharing, and analysis.

Pan-Canadian Genome Libray
PCGL, a Canadian initiative, unifies genome sequencing efforts using domestic components, international standards, and a federated data management system that respects jurisdictional data movement limits.
Request Info
The objective of SD4Health is to support the Canadian genomics and biomedical community with their data projects. For more information, fill out our form and we will contact you. Should you have a service issue, email us at support@sd4health.ca.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Disclaimer: when requesting to become an SD4H user you are seeking permission to use a shared cloud infrastructure that is collaboratively managed by a collective group, offering resources and services under common policies, governance, and goals. Whether affiliated with any of the group members or an external party, your onboarding might require endorsements from one or more of the institutional members.
The first thing to do to become an SD4H user is contact the community cloud’s administrative team by sending an e-mail to info@sd4health.ca. A specialist will reach out and guide you through the request process; starting by asking questions about your affiliation, the purpose for accessing the cloud (research project, educational initiative, etc.) and the resources needed (e.g., storage, computational power, collaborative tools). The specialist will forward your request to the appropriate approval instance. Once approved, you will receive access instructions. Depending on the kind of request, you could receive access within one week of the approval.
SD4H is based on a shared Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) security framework which is made up of policies and procedures aligned with standards and best practices for cloud computing services, including NIST and the ISO 27000 family. In other words, even if the infrastructure is not compliant with any specific standard per se, many security best practices are implemented, such as: data encryption in transit and at rest, project isolation and security groups, incident response plan for breach detection and mitigation and continuous monitoring and audits.
Moreover, considering the health & genomic research-focus of SD4H users, sector specific and ethical guidelines (like those proposed by GA4GH or institutional review board guidelines) are being taken into account in the design of the services offered through and on top of the IaaS. See Use Cases page for more information
The storage equipment of SD4H is composed of four different persistent systems and one ephemeral medium (local SSD disks located on individual servers). The persistent storage includes a CEPH/Rados Block Device (RBD), Ceph Object Storage, Ceph File System (CephFS) and tape. The RDB and the Object Store can be considered as a single medium with the capability of storing two copies. The CephFS is its own independent storage unit. The backup tape system allows users to save the data as one or two physical copies. The data stored on tape is encrypted to ensure its integrity and security.
The tape robot is currently located at the same site as the rest of the infrastructure but will soon be moved off-site in addition to the establishment of a secure network “tunnel” between the 2 sites. This tunnel will encrypt the data and guarantee the confidentiality of the information in transit.
In conclusion, the entire storage and backup system is designed to contain at least three copies of the data, store the copies on two different media, keep one backup copy offsite and enable encryption.