Beacons may be able to increase their functionality through the development of distinct flavours, which can extend the core Beacon concept for specific use cases.
| Flavour | Data Sources | Data response | Examples | Notes |
| Core Beacon |
- aggregate or sample, callset specific variant data
- optional bio- and assya-metadata (e.g. phenotypes, geolocation data, assay information ...)
|
- standard "existence of allele" response (yes/no; quantitative)
- optional data delivery through "handover" scenarios
|
- most of the current Beacon implementations
|
This is main Beacons development line, representing the gradual & continuous extension of the protocol while staying with the queries do not return information about single individuals paradigm. |
| Evidence Beacon |
- Variant knowledge resources
|
- variant annotation data (variant effects, druggability...)
|
|
|
| Data Beacon |
- sample, callset specific variant data (may be optional in pure "metadata" scenarios)
- bio- and assya-metadata
|
- Data (variants, callsets, individual/clinical records) through handover scenarios
- versions with direct data delivery in response in secure environments (?)
|
- so far internal and "off protocol"
- Beacon+
|
- risk of data breaches/exposure, especially when providing clinical data as response add-on
- "handoff" scenario delegates delivery (and potential security concerns) to external protocols
|
Beacon implementations can also be classified by their potential for data delivery:
