The Role of Spatial Analysis in Risk-Based Animal Disease Management

Effective detection and control of diseases in animals (and humans) by health authorities needs to account for spatial patterns in both disease occurrence and any associated risk factors. This requires efficient data collection, management, and analysis. The integration of geographic information system (GIS) functionality into most modern disease information systems reflects the increased recognition of the importance of spatial patterns in disease control. As a result of the emerging disease risk and economic and climate challenges facing health authorities in the twenty-first century, decision makers are now looking for tools that make more effective use of the wide range of available data sources in an attempt to increase our ability to allow early detection of unusual occurrences of disease and targeted surveillance and control efforts that account explicitly for spatial variation in risk.