Until recently, these tools were underexploited in the field of veterinary public health, due to the prohibitive cost of hardware and the complexity of GIS software that required a high level of expertise. The revolutionary developments in computer performance of the last decade have not only reduced the costs of equipment but have made available easy-to-use Web-based software which in turn have meant that GIS are more widely accessible by veterinary services at all levels.

At the same time, the increased awareness of the possibilities offered by these tools has created new opportunities for decision-makers to enhance their planning, analysis and monitoring capabilities. These technologies offer a new way of sharing and accessing spatial and non-spatial data across groups and institutions. The series of papers included in this compilation aim to:

— define the state of the art in the use of GIS in veterinary activities

— define practical proposals for their implementation.

The topics addressed are presented in the following order in this book:

— importance of GIS for the monitoring of animal diseases and zoonoses

— GIS application in surveillance activities

— spatial analysis in veterinary epidemiology

— data collection and remote sensing applications

— Web – GIS as a tool for data and knowledge sharing.

All 43 manuscripts selected for this book have been peer-reviewed.

These contributions were originally commissioned for the First international conference on the use of GIS in veterinary activities organised by the Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell’Abruzzo e del Molise ‘G. Caporale’, Teramo, Italy, and the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE: Office International des Epizooties) that was held in Silvi Marina, Italy, from 8 to 11 October 2006.

The editors would like to thank all authors for their valuable contributions.

Paolo Calistri, Annamaria Conte, Jerome E. Freier & Michael P. Ward Editors