Comparison of the Disease Surveillance Data Collection Technologies in Tanzania

Authors

  • Uriy A. Grigorev Bauman State Technical University, Moscow, Russian Federation
  • Esron D. Karimuribo Southern African Centre for Infectious Disease Surveillance, Morogoro, United Republic of Tanzania
  • Mpoki Mwabukusi Southern African Centre for Infectious Disease Surveillance, Morogoro, United Republic of Tanzania
  • Alexey V. Burdakov Bauman State Technical University, Moscow, Russian Federation; Amur State Technical University, Blagoveschensk, Russian Federation
  • Andrey O. Ukharov Black & Veatch, Overland Park, KS, United States
  • Loren Shaffer

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5210/ojphi.v6i1.5063

Abstract

Tanzania has a distributed disease surveillance infrastructure for human and animal disease surveillance that requires application of new technologies to improve surveillance data timeliness and quality. This work compares four technologies for nation-wide use in surveillance: (1) online voice, (2) SMS, (3) mobile web, and (4) Android applications on cell phones. The best technology on availability and sustainability is an Android-based application with limited availability. The mobile web is second best for capability and sustainability and is much more available. The forecast for 2016 shows significant improvement of technology availability providing strong foundation for future systems implementation in Tanzania.

Author Biographies

Uriy A. Grigorev, Bauman State Technical University, Moscow, Russian Federation

Uriy A. Grigorev has Doctorate degree in Computer Science and is a Professor at the Bauman State Technical University in Moscow, Russia. He is currently leading research in the field of distributed databases and data processing evaluation models and methods. He has 93 publications including 15 science books. He has a number of awards from the computer science society and the government with recognition of his achievements.

Esron D. Karimuribo, Southern African Centre for Infectious Disease Surveillance, Morogoro, United Republic of Tanzania

Esron Karimuribo is an Associate Professor working with Sokoine University of Agriculture in Tanzania. He also works with the Southern African Centre for Infectious Disease Surveillance. Esron has been involved in research activities related to investigations of diseases in of domestic, wild animals and those of humans. His main interests are in inter- and cross-sectoral approaches of disease investigation and interventions including one health and ecohealth fields as well as use of ICT for development.

Mpoki Mwabukusi, Southern African Centre for Infectious Disease Surveillance, Morogoro, United Republic of Tanzania

Mpoki Mwabukusi is an Assistant ICT Specialist at Southern African Centre for Infectious Disease Surveillance (SACIDS).  He has been involved in a number of projects, particularly in providing ICT programming and support to the application of mobile technologies in disease surveillance in humans and animals. Also, he will be involved in testing new and existing applications of ICT among pastoral communities to assess their utilities in public health and local development.

Alexey V. Burdakov, Bauman State Technical University, Moscow, Russian Federation; Amur State Technical University, Blagoveschensk, Russian Federation

Alexey V. Burdakov received Ph.D. in computer science from Bauman MSTU, Moscow, Russia. He has 16 years of experience in creation and implementation of distributed information system including in the disease surveillance fields. He has 25 publications, is an active participant of international conference and symposiums. He currently works for Black & Veatch on creation and deployment of EIDSS, lecturing at the Bauman MSTU and leading research at the Amur State University in Blagoveschensk, Russia.

Andrey O. Ukharov, Black & Veatch, Overland Park, KS, United States

Andrey O. Ukharov received Ph.D. in computer science from Bauman Moscow State Technical University (Bauman MSTU), Moscow, Russia. Andrey has 8 years of experience in the field of automated control systems, computerized data analysis and application of information technology in veterinary medicine and epidemiology. He is the author of 15 scientific publications. Currently Dr. Ukharov works at Black & Veatch developing the EIDSS.

Loren Shaffer

Loren Shaffer is a veterinary epidemiologist at Northrop Grumman Information Systems. He received his Masters in Public Health and PhD in Veterinary Epidemiology from The Ohio State University. Dr. Shaffer is a prior service Army Special Operations Preventive Medicine Officer and has worked at the county and state levels of public health to develop, deploy and utilize syndromic surveillance systems.

Downloads

Published

2014-03-09

How to Cite

Grigorev, U. A., Karimuribo, E. D., Mwabukusi, M., Burdakov, A. V., Ukharov, A. O., & Shaffer, L. (2014). Comparison of the Disease Surveillance Data Collection Technologies in Tanzania. Online Journal of Public Health Informatics, 6(1). https://doi.org/10.5210/ojphi.v6i1.5063

Issue

Section

Poster Presentations