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Copyright of Revista EIA is the property of Escuela de Ingenieria de Antioquia and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of La Granja, de Ciencias de la Vida is the property of Universidad Politecnica Salesiana and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

In August 2021, the Western Cape Government (WCG) veterinary services noted a new strain of avian influenza (AI) affecting coastal bird colonies, resulting in mass fatalities. While it was not declared a disaster, the Provincial Disaster Management Centre (PDMC) was activated in September 2021 to coordinate the response, in the interest of public health and safety. Between October and November 2021, approximately 18,388 birds had died as a result of the AI outbreak. Of these mortalities, 17,926 were Cape Cormorants Phalacrocorax capensis, an Endangered species that is endemic to Southern Africa. The multitude of stakeholders suddenly engaged in response activities resulted in the initial reporting mechanisms being uncoordinated, with information received in various formats such as text messages, spreadsheets, social media or telephonic reports. There was thus a need to formalise a coherent reporting structure that could incorporate locational information to monitor the spread of the outbreak. While a summary of the technological response is provided in Kirkman et al. (2022), this work further reflects on the benefits of such coordination. For stakeholders to be receptive to new technologies, it is important that their needs are directly addressed, and the process of data storage and management is transparent with their data being both safeguarded and accessible. The Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE), thorough its Oceans and Coastal Information Management System (OCIMS) readily undertakes the development of online publicly accessible decision-support tools and were therefore equipped with rapid development, deployment and data management capabilities. In this context, a collaboration effort between the DFFE, WCG PDMC and WCG Department of Agriculture (DoA) was established to capitalise on the available technologies to support the AI response management. Stakeholder ‘groups’ with similar technological needs were subsequently identified, namely (1) data capturers, (2) data analysts and (3) event management, which guided product development. All subsequent training was provided online due to the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown restrictions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Center for Geographic Analysis (CGA) at Harvard University supports research and teaching that relies on geographic information. This includes supporting geographic analysis for public health research at Harvard. This article reviews geographic concepts that apply to public health, pertinent data available in geographic format, and GIS analytical techniques. The work-flow methodology the CGA has developed for conducting research with geographic data will be presented, highlighting successful practices to follow and pitfalls to avoid. Applications of this work flow are illustrated through an in-depth discussion of specific case studies in public health research at the university. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]