GSID has worked on a number of projects which have sought to gather and share better information about infectious diseases, outbreaks, and research.
Global Public Health Surveillance Systems
Surveillance has historically been an important tool of public health and disease control, and recent developments in information technology have allowed public health officials to monitor information from a multitude of media sources. By scanning news reports and websites for stories of public health interest, for example, early warning systems have been developed to help public health officials respond more quickly to and manage infectious disease outbreaks around the world.
Given our experience in global public health and our interest in developing tools for the control of infectious diseases, GSID was retained to research the field of informal surveillance networks and to develop a detailed business plan to enhance and improve the operations of the Global Public Health Intelligence Network (GPHIN), which was originally developed by the Public Health Agency Canada (PHAC). Support for this project was funded through the Silicon Valley Community Foundation.
Sample Collections for the Detection of Unknown Pathogens
GSID was asked to write and share a white paper on sample collections around the world, which might help in the detection of unknown pathogens. GSID recommended the creation of a system to allow research to connect and to search data related to sample collections around the world. A copy of the white paper is available here. Support for this project was provided by the Google Foundation.
