The project CARLOS (Cancer Registry Lower-Saxony) aims at novel cancer clustering techniques using advanced database technology to support multidimensional analysis of spatio-temporal related health data. This requires very advanced support capabilities which cannot be provided by existing technology. Therefore new approaches in the fields of spatio-temporal , multidimensional and statistical database systems have to be considered to develop an appropriate support architecture.

CARLOS aims at providing software support for all important aspects of cancer registration. These are data collection, data security and environmental epidemiological research. The latter is based on exploratory analysis of cancer data , where the objective is to detect possible health risks by analysing the spatio-temporal distribution of health data. For example, in order to detect an increased cancer rate around a nuclear power station, geographic information is needed. In general, health data has to be related with various forms of environmental data. The CARESS (CARLOS - Epidemiologic and Statistical Data Exploration System) software system supports the necessary multidimensional analysis of all these forms of data by advanced analysis and database technology . Its architecture focuses on extensive interoperability between a database management system and several analysis and visualisation tools. CARESS is based on relational database technology whereas the new developed approach MINTAL uses the Illustra ORDBMS.

The prototype MINTALprovides:

1. an object-relational (epidemiological) application schema
2. materialized views for processing of multidimensional analysis queries
3. a spatial data cube concept as an appropriate access structure integrating spatial and statistical aspects
4. maintenance by active rules

Further research and activities are focused on the developement of a hybride OLAP DataBlade based on the evaluation of the current prototype. Another main aspects concerns client-based processing of complex analysis queries in an object-relational environment.