Replacing manual processes will also help keep the registries more up to date, Carrigan said. There is currently an 18-month lag between the time a patient's cancer treatment begins and when information about it becomes available in the registry, he said.

Using the integration technology, "every data record that comes in electronically to the [regional] data registry will be automatically linked to NHS to check and authenticate who the person is and to augment other data in the registry," Carrigan said.

The NHS also expects that an Ensemble-based system will allow health officials to apply standardized business rules to the categorization of data. The current process, based on human decision-making, can lead to discrepancies in how data is categorized and analyzed.

"I can never tell whether it is a right or wrong decision, because [the data is analyzed] in someone's head," Carrigan said. "With the [new] system, I can control and visualize the business rules that are happening within the registries."

The pilot project is expected to allow registries to more easily support the influx of data expected as the country rolls out the NHS National Program for IT, which will create a single electronic record of care for all U.K. citizens. That program could result in a 100 percent increase in health care data over the next several years, Carrigan said.