Explosion of mobile use in developing countries is helping transform health care

BBC Digital Planet article describes the use of mobiles to collect and share vital data on health and disease. Datadyne's EpiSurveyor software is used by health workers to gather information about vaccination rates and instances of HIV.

"We're using just standard cell phones - not smart phones necessarily, although we're working on an iPhone application," said Joel Selanikio, co-founder of DataDyne.

Joel Selanikio, co-founder of Datadyne says that while internet access via desktop or laptop computers is not readily available to all, many people, even in the developing world, have a mobile phone.

EpiSurveyor was built with a focus on international development, but Mr Selanikio says others are finding uses for the system - a trend which could make the project completely self-supporting. For example, he said, the Ministry of Agriculture in Canada use the tool to collect data on veterinary disease in rural farms.

Read the full article.

Manejo Operacional e Protótipo de Geodecisão para Rastrear a Produção Agropecuária

A Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuária – Embrapa, vinculada ao Ministério da Agricultura, Pecuária e Abastecimento, presenta do projeto internacional Manejo Operacional e Protótipo de Geodecisão para Rastrear a Produção Agropecuária (OTAG).

Embrapa levará o rastreamento de bovinos usando colares com GPS. Os equipamentos foram desenvolvidos pelo projeto OTAG e permitirão o rastreamento e a alimentação de um software para a vigilância sanitária. “Este trabalho é de aplicação fácil na bovinocultura e há interesse em fazer a divulgação para todos os países que praticam essa cultura. Desta forma, a Embrapa, por meio de seus projetos, procura resolver problemas e/ou melhorar o rendimento das atividades agropecuárias”, afirma o pesquisador médico-veterinário da Embrapa.

ler o artigo na íntegra

Addressing animal health knowledge gaps in Southern countries

Livestock are a key asset for the global poor. However, access to relevant information is a critical issue for both livestock development practitioners and the poor themselves. This paper (in the Electronic Journal of Information Systems in Developing Countries) details the creation of an on-line Animal Health Resource Room.

The Animal Health Resource Room was created to deliver learning media i.e. videos and pamphlets to practitioners working with poor communities in Bolivia and India. Prior to developing the resource room, a study was undertaken to explore the priority animal health constraints identified by poor farmers in India and Bolivia.

ICAHIS repository of animal health information papers

The 6th International Conference of Animal Health Information Specialists (ICAHIS) is in Melbourne in 2009.

On 3 September, Vicki Croft from Washington State University introduces the repository of papers from previous ICAHIS conferences - aavilable through the WSU Research Exchange. An excellent resource to find out what veterinary information specialists have been working on.

Other ICAHIS session descriptions at:

3 September
4 September - 1
4 September - 2

More postings on animal health

GLiPHA: Global Livestock Production and Health Atlas

GLiPHA is an interactive electronic atlas that provides a scaleable overview of spatial and temporal variation in quantitative information related to animal production and health. Against a back-drop of selected maps of livestock densities, land-use or elevation, sub-national statistics relating to the livestock sector can be mapped, or displayed as tables and charts.

The objective of the GLiPHA is to facilitate access to livestock sector information for analysis and informed decision making and to increase awareness of socio-economic, human and animal demographic and health related issues.

GLiPHA draws on sub-national data managed within the Global Livestock Impact Mapping (GLIMS). The interface uses KIDS-3g technology, the third generation of the Key Indicator Data System.

Animal health libraries, librarians, and librarianship

Vicki Croft at Washington State University has compiled a "comprehensive, international bibliography to works written about animal health libraries and by their librarians." Download the full text from the WSU Dspace.

FAO's A/H1N1 Information Portal on the Crisis Management Center - Animal Health

In light of the global repercussions of transboundary animal diseases on animal health and trade, and on human health, response efforts must be fast, well coordinated and strategically planned to help stop diseases before they spread.

The Crisis Management Centre - Animal Health (CMC-AH) is FAO’s rapid response mechanism for transboundary animal disease emergencies. The Centre provides technical and operational assistance to help governments develop and implement immediate solutions to prevent or stop disease spread.

With a direct link to FAO’s Emergency Prevention System for Transboundary Animal and Plant Pests and Diseases (EMPRES), the Centre daily tracks the animal disease situation worldwide through information received from the Global Early Warning System (GLEWS). Daily risk analysis and decision-making allow the Centre to stay abreast of developments to respond rapidly and effectively.

Visit FAO's A/H1N1 Information Portal and the Crisis Management Centre - Animal Health

Related:

• Emergency Prevention System for Transboundary Animal and Plant Pests and Diseases (EMPRES)
• Emergency Centre for Transboundary Animal Disease Operations (ECTAD)
• Global Early Warning and Response System (GLEWS)
• Joint OIE-FAO network of expertise on influenza (OFFLU)

La FAO lanzó un nuevo portal de Internet sobre bienestar animal

La FAO lanzó hoy un nuevo portal de Internet donde particulares y organizaciones podrán encontrar toda la información actualizada sobre el bienestar animal.

El portal para el Bienestar de los Animales de Granja está diseñado para proporcionar información fiable sobre legislación y resultados de investigaciones del sector, así como sobre estándares, prácticas y políticas de bienestar animal. Se espera que este portal sea utilizado por agricultores, funcionarios, legisladores, investigadores, la industria alimentaria y ganadera y las organizaciones no gubernamentales

Lea artículo completo.

Enlaces relacionados:
El portal de la FAO sobre bienestar animal (en inglés)

FAO launches animal welfare web portal

A new internet portal has been launched by FAO that will serve as a one-stop-shop for individuals and organizations searching for the latest information about the welfare of livestock.

The Gateway to Farm Animal Welfare is designed to provide a reliable information conduit on legislation and research findings in the sector, as well as on animal welfare standards, practices and policies. Expected users are farmers and government officials, lawmakers, researchers, the livestock and food industry and non-governmental organizations.

Read full article.

Sixth International Conference of Animal Health Information Specialists

The 6th International Conference of Animal Health Information Specialists (ICAHIS), which will be part of the 10th International Congress on Medical Librarianship (ICML), will be held in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, August 31- September 4, 2009.

The organisers welcome proposals to present papers or posters (see the call for abstracts and submission form). Be sure to indicate one of the ICAHIS themes:

• Advancing Communication in Animal Health Practice: For example: coping with web content; preserving content by digitization; sharing copyrighted materials legally; using specialized databases; creating and/or maintaining repositories; accessing veterinary archives; assessing the impact of e-journals
  
• Improving Information transfer from Research to Clinical Veterinary Practice: For example: evidence based veterinary medicine; translational medicine; one medicine/one health; public health & zoonotics
  
• Partnerships and Collaborations that Make a Difference in Animal Health: For example: consortial agreements; collective collection development; web portal projects

ABSTRACT DEADLINE Friday, 19 September 2008

Questions? Contact one of the 6ICAHIS Planning Committee members:

Trenton Boyd boydt AT missouri.edu
Greg Youngen Youngen AT uiuc.edu
Vicki Croft croft AT wsu.edu

Animal health and veterinary libraries directory

The Medical Library Association’s Veterinary Medical Libraries Section is compiling an international directory of Veterinary Medical and Related Libraries (and librarians).

Launched in May, the directory has contact information for hundreds of information services serving veterinary medicine and animal health. The new site is the result of sterling efforts by a group of volunteers.

The editors recognize they have some international gaps to fill; some countries are missing or have incomplete information. If you are working with animal health information, please get in contact with Vicki Croft at Washington State University, Susanne Whitaker at Cornell University, or the VMLS Webmaster.