This not-for-profit organization began with a father’s effort to get data from his daughter’s CGM and Pump. This quest led Tidepool to create a free software solution and data platform that integrates data from pumps, CGMs, and blood glucose meters in a single place. In order to accomplish this, Tidepool entered into Data Protocol Agreements with most of the major CGM and pump suppliers in the United States. You can see a full list of supported devices here.
These Data Protocol Agreements enable Tidepool to understand how each supplier formats their data and in turn standardize all device data displayed in Tidepool so no matter the device, your data will always look the same to you, your care team, and your clinicians.This is the Accessible part of the Tidepool mission.
Once Tidepool could collect data from virtually all available diabetes devices, it realized it could create large data sets that would help research teams develop better therapies. Enabling users to opt-in to anonymously donate their data, providing the diabetes community with choice and autonomy over their diabetes device data. This is the Meaningful part of the mission.
The next step in the Tidepool journey is just beginning: Tidepool intends to build and support an FDA-regulated version of Loop, to be available in the iOS App Store, intended to work with commercially available insulin pumps and CGMs. Learn more about this project in this blog post. This app is intended to conform to the iCGM designation announced by the FDA in March 2018. This is the Actionable part of the Tidepool mission.
We applaud the approach Tidepool is taking and its commitment to transparency and open source software development. We believe that shared data is part of building a self-help community and will lead to better therapies.
