An overview of suite for automated global electronic biosurveillance (SAGES)

Public health surveillance is undergoing a revolution driven by advances in the field of information technology. Many countries have experienced vast improvements in the collection, ingestion, analysis, visualization, and dissemination of public health data. Resource-limited countries have lagged behind due to challenges in information technology infrastructure, public health resources, and the costs of proprietary software. The Suite for Automated Global Electronic bioSurveillance (SAGES) is a collection of modular, flexible, freely-available software tools for electronic disease surveillance in resource-limited settings. One or more SAGES tools may be used in concert with existing surveillance applications or the SAGES tools may be used en masse for an end-to-end biosurveillance capability. This flexibility allows for the development of an inexpensive, customized, and sustainable disease surveillance system. The ability to rapidly assess anomalous disease activity may lead to more efficient use of limited resources and better compliance with World Health Organization International Health Regulations.

[1]  Wayne Loschen,et al.  Event Communication in a Regional Disease Surveillance System , 2007, AMIA.

[2]  B. Feighner,et al.  The pandemic influenza policy model: a planning tool for military public health officials. , 2009, Military medicine.

[3]  T. Safranek,et al.  Status of state electronic disease surveillance systems--United States, 2007. , 2009, MMWR. Morbidity and mortality weekly report.

[4]  Joseph S Lombardo,et al.  ESSENCE II and the framework for evaluating syndromic surveillance systems. , 2004, MMWR supplements.

[5]  Joseph S. Lombardo,et al.  A systems overview of the Electronic Surveillance System for the Early Notification of Community-Based Epidemics (ESSENCE II) , 2003, Journal of Urban Health.

[6]  R. G. Parrish,et al.  Guidelines for evaluating surveillance systems. , 1988, MMWR supplements.

[7]  Lisa M. Lee,et al.  Principles & Practice of Public Health Surveillance , 2010 .

[8]  J M Hughes,et al.  Emerging infectious diseases: public health issues for the 21st century. , 1999, Science.

[9]  Simulated release of plague in Montgomery County, Maryland , 2003 .

[10]  N. Ferguson,et al.  Frequent Travelers and Rate of Spread of Epidemics , 2007, Emerging infectious diseases.

[11]  Disease Surveillance, a Public Health Priority , 2006 .

[12]  H. Burkom,et al.  Syndromic Surveillance: Adapting Innovations to Developing Settings , 2008, PLoS medicine.

[13]  D. Sosin.  Draft framework for evaluating syndromic surveillance systems , 2003, Journal of Urban Health.

[14]  A. Fauci,et al.  The challenge of emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases , 2004, Nature.

[15]  Raj Ashar,et al.  Applying information and communications technologies to collect health data from remote settings: A systematic assessment of current technologies , 2010, J. Biomed. Informatics.

[16]  S. Blount,et al.  Lead Visual Information Specialist , 2003 .

[17]  Miguel F. Fernandez,et al.  Challenges in the implementation of an electronic surveillance system in a resource-limited setting: Alerta, in Peru , 2008, BMC proceedings.

[18]  Samuel L Groseclose,et al.  Evaluation of reporting timeliness of public health surveillance systems for infectious diseases , 2004, BMC public health.