January Literature Review: Spatial Scanning Tips and Tricks for Practical Outbreak Detection

Date:  January 27th, 2011; 12:00-1:30 pm EST

For its January 2011 Literature Review, the ISDS Research Committee is pleased to present Daniel Neill, PhD, Assistant Professor of Information Systems at Carnegie Mellon University, who will be speaking about his recent publication, "An empirical comparison of spatial scan statistics for outbreak detection" in the International Journal of Health Geographics. 

After conducting the regularly scheduled review of articles during the first 30 minutes of the call, Dr. Neill's talk will begin promptly at 12:30 pm EST.  

Register for the webinar. 

Call for Papers: Geospatial Applications in Disease Surveillance

The International Journal of Applied Geospatial Research (IJAGR) is now accepting submissions for a special issue on 'Geospatial Applications in Disease Surveillance.'  ISDS member Amy J. Blatt, PhD, GISP, is a guest editor of this publication. 

The following information is from the official Call for Papers:

SUBMISSION DUE DATE: July 1, 2011

SPECIAL ISSUE ON GEOSPATIAL APPLICATIONS IN DISEASE SURVEILLANCE
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF APPLIED GEOSPATIAL RESEARCH (IJAGR)

Guest Editor: Amy J. Blatt, Ph.D., GISP

GIS is an excellent visualization tool for analyzing epidemiological data, revealing trends,
and identifying dependencies and inter-relationships. GIS serves as an ideal platform for the convergence of multi-disease surveillance activities. Public health resources, specific diseases and other health events can be mapped in relation to their surrounding environment and existing health and social infrastructures. Such information creates a powerful tool for monitoring and management of epidemics.

OBJECTIVE OF THE SPECIAL ISSUE:

The purpose of this special issue is to gather current and up-to-date research from scientists and policy makers working in the area of disease surveillance to better understand the challenges and opportunities of real-time disease surveillance and visualization, and to develop integrated solutions for future approaches that are efficient, cost-effective, and fulfill the needs of both policy and science.

RECOMMENDED TOPICS:
Topics to be discussed in this special issue include (but are not limited to) the following:

• Design of surveillance systems in developing and developed countries
• Remote sensing applications in disease surveillance
• Visualization and management of disease outbreaks
• Endemic disease surveillance
• Exotic and emerging disease surveillance
• Data collection, transmission, and management
• Implementation of surveillance using GIS
• Modeling outbreaks (social network analysis, multi-agent systems)
• Integrating different scales of surveillance
• On-line collaborations, including Web 2.0 initiatives

ISDS Committee Meeting Schedule in Park City

If you're joining us in Park City, Utah, and are interested in attending an ISDS Committee meeting, here is the schedule:

Wednesday, December 1st
11:30 am -12:00 pm:  ISDS Town Hall Meeting
Join the ISDS Board and staff for an update on the 2010 year.  ISDS Vice President John Brownstein will be reviewing the latest ISDS activities, projects, and more for interested members.

Thursday, December 2nd
12:30 - 1:00 pm:

• Education & Training, Painted Horse
• Public Health Practice, White Pine Parlor
• Conference, Arrowhead

1:00 - 1:30 pm:

• Global Outreach, Painted Horse
• Research, White Pine Parlor

Social and Outdoor Activities in Park City, UT

 It's hard to believe that the ISDS Annual Conference is now only a week away!  If you're joining us in Utah this year, please read on to learn more about what to do while you're there.  Some skiing options and opportunities for other group activities are highlighted below. 

We have just received this update from the Canyons Resort on their 2010 ski season:

Ski season at the Canyons will begin on Friday, December 10. Until that time, the Canyons will provide on-call shuttle service between the resort and nearby Park City Mountain for those who wish to ski before the Canyons’ opening day. This shuttle service will be available daily between the hours of 8am – 5pm. Please call the hotel directly at (435) 615-8040 for more information.

Other ski options include Deer Valley Resort (also in Park City), Alta and Snowbird (both ~1 hour from Park City).

In addition, ISDS staff are currently looking into arranging other group activities.  If you are staying on after the conference on December 2nd, 3rd and 4th, and are interested in joining colleagues for an outdoor activity, please let us know via email.  Please indicate your preferences in your correspondence:

• Snowshoeing ($63-70 per person)
• Cross country skiing ($55 for groups of 3+)
• Tubing ($20 for 2 hours)
• Alpine coaster ($20 per ride)

Final Materials Now Posted for 9th Annual Conference

With the 9th Annual Conference now less than two weeks away, the ISDS team is busy making the final preparations for Park City, Utah.  

Final versions of the following documents are now posted on www.syndromic.org:

Full Conference Agenda
Oral Presentation Schedule
Poster Presenter List

In addition, plenary and keynote speaker bios are now available. 

Research Committee Webinar: "Developing Syndrome Definitions Based on Consensus and Current Use"

For its November meeting, the ISDS Research Committee has invited Wendy Chapman, PhD, Associate Professor in the Division of Biomedical Informatics at the UCSD School of Medicine, to present her recent publication in JAMIA entitled, "Developing Syndrome Definitions Based on Consensus and Current Use." 

The presentation will be followed by a discussion, moderated by Don Olson, on evaluating a standard ILI syndrome definition across multiple sites in the Distribute Project.  Since the Distribute Project began in 2006, sites have been sending their aggregated emergency department ILI syndrome data, collected using region-specific definitions that accommodate sites' own surveillance needs.  The wish to improve comparability across systems has led to continued efforts to standardize.  The question of how best to harmonize syndrome definitions across disparate systems remains, thus, it is hoped that in this discussion, participants can weigh in on how to begin incorporating Chapman's findings into the ILI-S Pilot Project. 

Date:  Thursday, November 18th; 12:00-1:30 pm US EST

Register Online

More Information

BioSense Redesign Invites Stakeholders to Make Sense of Surveillance

Another important announcement from our colleagues at CDC:

Using input and guidance from our local, state, and federal surveillance partners, CDC is pleased to annouce that the BioSense Redesign is underway! The goal of the redesign is to coordinate and link exisiting surveillance systems and build capacity where it’s needed.  This renewed focus will ensure rapid and enhanced interchange of surveillance information.

Bottom line, we want BioSense to meet your needs.  By integrating local- and state-level data into a cohesive picture, BioSense will accomplish three objectives—(1) provide more useful information for state and local users; (2) supply multipurpose value of timely data for regional entities and organizations (i.e., multistate); and (3) offer a national picture of multiple health outcomes and syndromes. 

We’ll be the first to admit that our redesign efforts are a major undertaking; however, we truly view the redesign as a collaborative effort that places you, the stakeholder, at the center of the redesign process.   Currently, we are gaining invaluable feedback and recommendations from stakeholders like you, through a number of methods, including the BioSense Redesign Collaboration Web Site—the focal point of the redesign. 

If you have not already done so, please take a moment to visit this site.  There you will find a number of interactive elements, like the Requirements Gathering Work Center and the Syndromic Surveillance Systems Coverage Map.  The Work Center is a virtual space where we gather stakeholder feedback on topics ranging from capacity and governance to application design.  New questions are posted for user input on a weekly to biweekly basis.  Additionally, the Coverage Map, which has been populated with data from the Distribute project, provides a snapshot of the nation’s syndromic surveillance systems.  Like the BioSense Redesign, maintenance of the Coverage Map is a collaborative effort that can only be successful with stakeholder input. 

Your feedback is invaluable and it will directly impact the redesign of the BioSense program.  We hope that you will become a regular visitor and contributor to the Requirements Gathering Work Center. If you are the appropriate person to edit your jurisdiction’s data on the Coverage Map, please send an e-mail and your name will be added to our list of approved site editors.

Visit the BioSense Redesign Collaboration Web Site and view the Coverage Map or view the Requirements Gathering Work Center.

Let’s make sense of surveillance together!