What Is the Project?
Outbreak Insider: Navigating the coming wave of influenza-like illnesses is a sophisticated surveillance and intelligence platform in the software publishing and SaaS platforms industry. It delivers outbreak alerts, structured data assets, forecasting models, and expert-written risk assessments to empower governments, manufacturers, distributors, and end users of medical countermeasures. The project uniquely leverages artificial intelligence alongside a team of world-leading infectious disease and public health experts. With over 190 infectious diseases and syndromes monitored globally, the platform serves as a consolidated source of actionable intelligence in an ever-evolving landscape of infectious threat management.
Main Benefit
The main benefit of this project is its ability to ensure that decision makers identify critical signals, anticipate upcoming challenges, and respond with unwavering confidence. Key figures and facts include:
- Identification of Critical Signals: Always-on global surveillance that monitors more than 190 diseases and syndromes.
- Anticipation of Outbreaks: Risk assessments and forecasts provide foresight into outbreak trajectories from local to global scales.
- Confident Response: A suite of intelligence solutions that enable time-sensitive, high-stakes decisions.
- Time Savings: Users have reported an impressive 88% weekly time-saving on disease surveillance tasks.
- Broad Coverage: The platform covers not only known infectious diseases, but also emerging and unknown syndromes.
Project Features and Proven History
The track record of this project speaks volumes. In 2014, it accurately predicted the global spread of Ebola virus disease during the largest outbreak in history. Then in 2016, it pinpointed a local outbreak of Zika virus in Florida six months before the outbreak occurred. Fast forward to 2019, the platform alerted clients of the COVID-19 threat five days ahead of the World Health Organization – a truly remarkable feat. In 2020, it published the world’s first peer-reviewed study on COVID-19, accurately predicting its early international spread. More recently, in 2022, the platform inferred the true burden of mpox disease in West Africa during the first mpox Global Health Emergency of International Concern, and in 2024, it published a peer-reviewed study on the spread of oropouche virus, again accurately predicting its early international spread. This impressive history is complemented by a team that has led or co-authored more than 100 peer-reviewed scientific publications.
Real-Time Global Disease Surveillance
The project capitalizes on real-time global disease surveillance capabilities powered by artificial intelligence. It collects, structures, and aggregates fragmented data from thousands of global multilingual sources, ensuring a constant, always-on feed of global disease activity. This dynamic, efficient process brings a cutting-edge approach to tracking infectious threats and streamlines decision-making for experts in public health. It’s almost as if the system works behind the scenes, tirelessly connecting dots and identifying patterns to keep pace with an ever-changing world.
Data-Driven Decision Making With Contextual Intelligence
The platform doesn’t stop at gathering data—it also provides a global library of contextual intelligence that enhances the speed and quality of analysis. Users gain unique insights through expert-written rapid risk assessments and detailed analytics on disease spread and impact drivers. By integrating factors like importation and exportation likelihood at global ports of entry, the system equips decision makers with comprehensive insights needed for anticipating both the spread and potential impact of emerging threats. This data-driven architecture and seamless integration into existing workflows ensure that high-stakes decisions are informed by robust ground-level intelligence.
Project Impact
- SDG 3: Good Health and Well-Being
- SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure
- SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals
Credible and Transparent Intelligence
Credibility is at the core of this project, with an unwavering commitment to transparency. The system’s data and intelligence are supported by a robust foundation of peer review—with a founder and team members who have led or co-authored over 100 peer-reviewed publications in the world’s leading scientific journals. Detailed documentation is provided regarding data sources, provenance, and core methodologies, which helps build trust and confidence among clients. The project’s emphasis on credible, transparent intelligence and its comprehensive documentation ensure that all stakeholders have the means to make informed, high-consequence decisions in a rapidly evolving global health landscape… This level of detail and commitment adds an extra layer of assurance, making the platform a crucial asset in the fight against infectious disease threats.
