The Secure Portal is not yet available. We are planning for it to be available Fall 2009.

What is the Secure Portal?

The secure portal of the Environmental Public Health Tracking Network provides access to resources for environmental and public health practitioners and researchers. Its primary functions are to:

• support the implementation of the Tracking Network's nationally consistent data and measures
• provide a secure, online resource center for grantees, partners, and other public health practitioners.

To gain access to the secure portal, you must become a registered user. The registration process ensures that individuals requesting access have an appropriate professional need to utilize the data and resources within the secure portal. Users who are approved will receive a digital certificate to access the system.

Content on the secure portal will be protected through the extensive security procedures and technical mechanisms of the CDC Secure Data Network (SDN). The SDN protects all of CDC's sensitive data. The SDN security measures include:

• Rigorous identity proofing conducted by CDC's registrar
• Electronic security certificates installed on accessing computers
• Role-based security measures implemented in the portal itself.

Secure users will be responsible for establishing access to SDN and installing any required security certificates. These measures are in accordance with appropriate guidance issued by the National Institute of Standards and Technology.

Becoming a Registered User and Obtaining Authorization to Access Restricted Data

To become a registered user of the Secure Portal, requestors must submit a completed application. As detailed in CDC's Technical Network Implementation Plan, registered users will include:

• CDC staff and contractors
• Tracking grantees
• other data partners
• other public health and environmental practitioners
• researchers.

The Tracking Program will review applications to ensure the stated objectives for accessing the secure portal are consistent with the types of data, tools, and services available on this site and with the purpose for which these Network assets were developed or obtained. Approved requestors will receive a link to access the SDN site and a password. You must complete the enrollment process for the SDN. This involves applying for an SDN account, being assigned to the Tracking Program activities, and installing a digital certificate on your browser. If you already have a digital certificate for another CDC services, you will need to get assigned to the Tracking activity. Some data on the secure portal will have restricted access due to privacy constraints. Registration on the Secure Portal does not automatically allow registered users access to restricted datasets. To access these datasets, Secure Portal users must submit a data request form, which includes a description of how the requested data will be used. For data provided to the Tracking Network by state or local Tracking Grantees, the Tracking Program will forward the data requests to the appropriate state or local Tracking Grantees. State or local Tracking Grantees may approve, reject, or request additional information from the applicant as part of their review process. State or local Tracking Grantees will provide notification of final approval or rejection of the request to the Tracking Program. If a data request is rejected, the state or local Tracking Grantee will provide a reason for the rejection.

For data provided by national sources or sources other than state or local Tracking Grantees, requests for restricted data will be handled as specified by the data sharing agreement between the CDC Tracking Program and the data steward.

Users authorized to use restricted data will sign a data use agreement with CDC and will be subject to the terms within the relevant agreements between the CDC Tracking Program and data stewards or state and local Tracking Grantees. Users will be required to renew their access rights annually, unless otherwise specified during the data request process.