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ISDS 2012 Conference Abstracts

National Collaborative for Bio-Preparedness
Meredith Arasaratnam*1, 2, David Potenziani1, 2, Marc Hoit3, 1, Colleen Jenkins4, 1 and
Charles Cairns2, 1

1National Collaborative for Bio-Preparedness, Chapel Hill, NC, USA; 2University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA; 3North
Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA; 4SAS Institute, Cary, NC, USA

Objective
Demonstrate the functionality of the National Collaborative for

Bio-Preparedness system.

Introduction
The National Collaborative for Bio-Preparedness (NCB-Prepared)

was established in 2010 to create a biosurveillance resource to en-
hance situational awareness and emergency preparedness. This joint-
institutional effort has drawn on expertise from the University of
North Carolina- Chapel Hill, North Carolina State University, and
SAS Institute, leveraging North Carolina’s role as a leader in syn-
dromic surveillance, technology development and health data stan-
dards. As an unprecedented public/private alliance, they bring the
flexibility of the private sector to support the public sector. The proj-
ect has developed a functioning prototype system for multiple states
that will be scaled and made more robust for national adoption.

Methods
NCB-Prepared recognizes that the capability of any biosurveil-

lance system is a function of the data is analyzes. NCB-Prepared is
designed to provide information services that analyze and integrate
national data across a variety of domains, such as human clinical, vet-
erinary and physical data. In addition to this one-health approach to
surveillance, a primary objective of NCB-Prepared is to gather data
that is closer in time to the event of interest. NCB-Prepared has val-
idated the usefulness of North Carolina emergency medical services
data for the purposes of biosurveillance of both acute outbreaks and
seasonal epidemics (1).

A unique model of user-driven valuing of data-providing value
back to the provider in their terms-motivates collaboration from po-
tential data providers, along with timely and complete data. NCB-
Prepared approaches potential data providers, partners and users with
the proposition that enhanced data quality and analysis is valuable to
them individually and that an integrated information system can be
valuable to all. With the onboarding of new data sources, NCB-Pre-
pared implements a formal process of data discovery and integration.
The goal of this process is three-fold: 1) to develop recommendations
to enhance data quality going forward, 2) to integrate information
across data sources, and 3) to develop novel analytic techniques for

detecting health threats. NCB-Prepared is committed to both utilizing
standard methods for event detection and to developing innovative
analytics for biosurveillance such as the Text Analytics and Propor-
tional charts method (TAP). The sophisticated analytic functionality
of the system, including improved time to detection, query reporting,
alert detection, forecasting and predictive modeling, can be attributed
to collaboration between analysts from private industry, academia
and public health. 

NCB-Prepared followed the formal software development process
known as agile development to create the user interface of the system.
This method is based on iterative cycles wherein requirements evolve
from regular sessions between user groups and developers. The result
of agile development and collaborative relationships is a system
which visualizes signals and diverse data sources across time and
place while providing information services across all levels of users
and stakeholders.

Conclusions
Lessons Learned:
1. Understand the functionality of new biosurveillance sys-

tem, NCB-Prepared
2. Identify the benefit of creating collaborative relationships

with data providers and users
3. Appreciate the value of a public/private partnership for

biosurveillance and bio-preparedness

Keywords
Biosurveillance; Analytics; Preparedness; Emergency

References

Cairns C., Potenziani D., Hoit M., Jenkins C., Edgemon S. Novel ap-
proach to statewide biosurveillance using emergency medical serv-
ices (EMS) information. Emerg Health Threats J 2011; 4, DOI: 4:
10.3402/ehtj.v4i0.11183 (abstract).

*Meredith Arasaratnam
E-mail: arasarat@med.unc.edu

Online Journal of Public Health Informatics * ISSN 1947-2579 * http://ojphi.org * 5(1):e198, 2013