Online Program

282795
Integrated data for bio-preparedness: The national collaborative for bio-preparedness


Monday, November 4, 2013 : 3:10 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.

Meredith Arasaratnam, ScD, National Collaborative for Bio-Preparedness, Chapel Hill, NC
David Potenziani, PhD, National Collaborative for Bio-Preparedness, Chapel Hill, NC
Marc Hoit, PhD, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC
Colleen Jenkins, U.S. Education Practice & Strategic Collaborations, SAS Institute Inc., Cary, NC
Charles Cairns, MD, FACEP, FAHA, Department of Emergency Medicine, University of North Carolina- Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC
Background The National Collaborative for Bio-Preparedness (NCB-Prepared) is a public-private partnership to enhance bio-surveillance and emergency preparedness. NCB-Prepared has developed a live, interactive, multi-state system to integrate near real-time data from multiple sources.

Objective/Purpose To provide a real-time demonstration of the NCB-Prepared system that enhances bio-preparedness through time-sensitive data collection and analysis

Methods NCB-Prepared provides information services that analyze and integrate data across a variety of domains, including clinical, social media, and physical data. NCB-Prepared gathers data close in time (12-24 hours) to events of interest, in particular emergency medical services, poison centers, and social media. Applying advanced visual and statistical analytics, the system provides a dashboard with multiple views (‘pods') across time and place. It weighs the informational value of each pod by reporting data quality in regards to timeliness and completeness of the data culminating in a data volatility score for each data source. Both real and simulated outbreaks are examined by the pods to test system validity.

Results The system detected, and validated across data sources, the magnitude of 2012-2013 influenza epidemic three months prior to recognition by current statewide and national surveillance systems. Data from a field test with simulated outbreaks inserted into real time data provide a demonstration of system functionality across multiple users.

Discussion/conclusions The NCB-Prepared system supports multiple views of emerging health situations across time, location, and analytic methods. Use of timely data from multiple sources can rapidly corroborate information. This capability allows for interventional and investigative actions during outbreaks.

Learning Areas:

Communication and informatics
Protection of the public in relation to communicable diseases including prevention or control

Learning Objectives:
Identify the value of multiple data types in one system for surveillance. Assess data quality in a surveillance system. Describe methods of information visualization contributing to enhanced situational awareness.

Keyword(s): Surveillance, Information Systems

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I have worked in information technology since 1994 as a developer of systems used in public health. I conceived, acquired funding, and led the development effort for the North Carolina workforce development system in 2003-5. Currently, I am Executive Director of a public/private partnership funded by the US Department of Homeland Security to create and deploy a national bio-preparedness system the identify threats to human health from the biosphere, both natural and intentional.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.