CDISC Controlled Terminology (CT) RDF/OWL Downloader – Python Automation Tool

The CDISC Controlled Terminology RDF/OWL Downloader is a Python automation tool that downloads and extracts official CDISC Controlled Terminology archives directly from the NCI EVS (National Cancer Institute Enterprise Vocabulary Services) FTP repository.

With a single command, you can fetch the latest CDISC RDF/OWL files for multiple standards, organize them into date-stamped folders, and keep a clean local archive for easy retrieval.

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Key Features

• Automatic Download of OWL ZIP archives for:

  • CDASH – Clinical Data Acquisition Standards Harmonization
  • SDTM – Study Data Tabulation Model
  • SEND – Standard for Exchange of Nonclinical Data
  • ADaM – Analysis Data Model
  • Define-XML – Define Standards for Submission

• Organized Output – Saves each release into its own date-stamped directory by standard.

• Batch or Single Standard – Download all standards in one go or target a specific one.

• ZIP Extraction – Automatically unzips archives and removes the original ZIP.

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Requirements

• Python 3.x

• Required packages: beautifulsoup4, urllib3, certifi, pycurl Install via:

  pip install beautifulsoup4 urllib3 certifi pycurl

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Usage Instructions

1. Set Download Path Update the location variable inside the script:

   location = 'D:\\Data\\CT_OWL'

2. Choose Standards to Download

   • Default: Download all standards

     std = 'ALL'

   • Single standard options: 'CDASH', 'SDTM', 'SEND', 'ADaM', 'Define-XML'

3. Run the Script

   python cdisc_ct_downloader.py

4. Resulting Directory Structure

   CT_OWL/
   ├── SDTM/
   │   ├── 2024-03-15/
   │   │   ├── sdtm_2024-03-15.owl
   │   └── 2023-12-01/
   ├── ADaM/
   │   └── 2024-01-20/
   └── ...
   

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Notes & Disclaimers

• This script uses web scraping to list available files; changes in the NCI EVS site structure could require updates.
• Always review and comply with the NCI EVS Terms of Use.
• Originally built as a Python learning project — functional but not fully optimized for performance or error handling.

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Author: Jimmy James GitHub: A142763

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License

This project is licensed under the MIT License — see the LICENSE file for details.