Data Synchronization of Epi Infotm Using a Mesh4X Adapter

Modern management of multi-state outbreaks requires collaborative assessments across jurisdictional and organizational boundaries.  However, current epidemiological tools do not allow many-to-many data sharing or aggregation among investigation groups, making analysis of disease surveillance and outbreaks more time consuming for epidemiologists. For example, while Epi Info(tm), CDC’s suite of tools for field collection of disease surveillance and outbreak information,  has over 1 million instances worldwide (J. Ma et al., 2007), there exists no easy way to collaborate or exchange data among users while in the field. InSTEDD’s Mesh4x (http://mesh4x.org), a light-weight synchronization platform, allows for asynchronous integration of data among different sources of information regardless of technology platform or network connectivity.  Designing for that mesh-like environment provides a low-cost, quickly implemented and flexible model which allows users to move beyond the limitations of current reporting systems, especially in acute settings (e.g., emerging disease outbreak investigation, disaster response) with little or no connectivity. We expanded the architecture of Epi Info(tm) by using a Mesh4x adapter to allow for a storage server or cloud (over internet infrastructure - http, Amazon's EC2 and S3, for example) and for peer-to-peer synchronization (over SMS messages or file exchange). Epidemiologists can use a client-based tool to build and configure a mesh environment, without requiring prior technical knowledge (Kass-Hout).