International Conference of Spatial Epidemiology, Geostatistics and GIS applied to animal health, public health and food safety
Expanding Boundaries: interdisciplinary geospatial research for the One Health era
The GeoVet International Conference, held every three years since 2001, is a well-established point of reference for experts and researchers involved in epidemiology and spatial statistics. The 2023 edition, held in Silvi Marina, in the province of Teramo, from 19 to 21 September, was a unique opportunity to share and discuss the latest developments within the growing in the One Health approach.
With the theme “Expanding Boundaries: interdisciplinary geospatial research for the One Health era”, the conference, organized by the Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell’Abruzzo e del Molise – Teramo, Italy, catalysed attention on a wide range of topics crucial to the protection of human, animal and environmental health. Numerous presentations and posters further explored a scientific debate that is expected to be a priority in the near future.
More than 150 experts in the field, including scientists, young researchers, well-established academics and representatives of institutions from around the world, attended the event. The guiding thread was the growing integration between Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and One Health approach, highlighting the importance of interdisciplinary collaborations to innovatively address health-related challenges in an ever-changing world. Different generations, professional skills and expertise shared knowledge and insights on innovative tools of spatial data analysis and visualization. A comparison that brought tangible outcomes, with innovative ideas laying the foundation for long-lasting and solid partnerships. The common goal: to provide a significant contribution to support Animal Health, Public Health, the Environment, and Food Safety at a global level.
The Conference summary book (ISBN 978-88-9365-041-0) provides a detailed overview of all the works presented. In particular, following the conference sessions, the main topics covered by the keynote speeches and high-level scientific presentations included:
From Science to Policy: integration between GIS and One Health
Marius Gilbert vice-rector and Head of the Spatial Epidemiology Lab (SpELL) at the University Libera of Bruxelles, opened the conference by sharing his experience in leading Belgian’s scientific group during SarsCov2 pandemic management. His talk highlighted the challenges related to public communication, managing rapidly changing data, and the need to foster a well-organized scientific debate. His conclusion underscored the importance of establishing a common methodology for analysis, which stems from close collaboration within the academic world and capable of being shared with the public, the media and policymakers. A unified, calm and effective “voice” that facilitates dialogue between the scientific community and society through simple language, while maintaining scientific rigor and authority.
Exploring novel data sources and operational tools
One of the main themes of GeoVet has always been data collection and the use of Geographic Information Systems in the study and management of animal diseases. The use of GIS allows viewing and analysing spatial data on disease outbreaks, vectors, and the density of at-risk populations. By exploring novel data sources as remote sensing, crowdsourced data, sensor data, genomic data and integrating advanced operational tools (as machine learning, spatial statistical analysis, data visualization platforms), GIS further improve our understanding of disease dynamics. This approach supports the planning and implementation of preventive health interventions, for the benefit of both animal and human population.
Nicola G. Criscuolo from ETH (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology) in Zurich, illustrated a study in which the distribution of veterinary services on a scale was predicted and mapped with a 10x10 km² resolution using a worldwide list of veterinarians obtained from online sources. New data sources were explored using innovative techniques such as web scraping and online web maps. This allowed the identification of "cold spots" where animals are more than an hour away from veterinarians, particularly in low-and middle-income countries. Criscuolo’s presentation demonstrated how the integration of advanced technologies and new data sources can revolutionize healthcare management by highlighting priority intervention areas and improving access to veterinary services globally.
Climate, human and environmental impact on animal health
The issue of extreme climatic events was thoroughly addressed during GeoVet, analysing how the availability of water and soil, together with temperature changes, influence the risk of infectious diseases transmission. Extreme weather events and climate variations affect the geographical and temporal distribution of diseases, the habitat availability, and animal population dynamics.
Rachel Lowe, professor and researcher at Barcelona Supercomputing Centre, provided an analysis of the past, present and future risks of emerging infectious diseases, describing the partnerships and the tools necessary to address these challenges. The discussion focused on using decision support tools to monitor and anticipate climate-sensitive infectious diseases. This task spans various spatial scales, ranging from global observations to local actions, integrating multiple disciplines, spatial domains, and temporal horizons, with a particular focus on harmonizing multi-scale spatiotemporal data at critical points of climate change.
Cyril Caminade from the Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ITCP) in Trieste, presented an overview of the latest progress in understanding the impact of climate change on vector-borne, water-borne, and soil borne diseases. This impact is compounded by factor such as travel, trade, land use, population vulnerability and drugs resistance. Given this complexity, improving statistical models and implementing multidisciplinary projects involving entomologists, epidemiologists, statisticians, and other specialists are crucial. The importance of a One Health approach is once again emphasised.
Spatial methods in ecology and epidemiology
The use of spatial methods in veterinary ecology and epidemiology contributes to the understanding and management of animal diseases, facilitating the planning of targeted preventive and control interventions. This approach focuses on analysing and understanding the spatial relationship among organisms, the environment and diseases. The geographic distribution of species, environmental characteristics, and patterns of disease spread become crucial elements in providing valuable information for the management and control of animal diseases. The session presented various applications of spatial methods in ecology and veterinary epidemiology.
Expanding boundaries of remote sensing
The unprecedented availability of environment data acquired by spatial technologies opens new pathways for understanding the complex interactions among human, animal and environment that underlie diseases. Satellite remote sensing is thus an additional tool to address global challenges related to the One Health concept. Although satellite technology provides only part of the solution, it is an indispensable resource to be that should be complemented by the involvement of scientists, healthcare workers, and citizens to find lasting solutions, in line with WHO's One Health concept and the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.
Shubha Sathyendranath Merit Remote Sensing Scientist, at Plymouth Marine Laboratory, UK -demonstrated how satellite data are an indispensable resource in studies concerning water quality, coastal, river and marine environments. Her work illustrated how these data can elucidate and predict the presence and spread of waterborne diseases.
Cheng Zhao and Thomas Van Boeckel from ETH Zurich presented how the use of global scale-ecological and demographic variables in geospatial models enable the creation of distribution maps of hunting, slaughtering and bushmeat trade activities in rural areas worldwide, thus improving the surveillance of zoonotic spillover events.
Modelling for ASF emergency
This session focused particularly on models developed for African Swine Fever. Experts highlighted the importance of spatial and temporal modelling to predict the spread of the disease and to support the planning of control and mitigation measures, providing examples from various regions of the world. Modelling has evolved by evaluating the impact of fencing, delving into the transmission cycle dynamics of ASF at the interface between domestic and wild animals, and identifying high-risk areas.
Mossa Merhi Reimert from the University of Copenhagen, opened the session by presenting a study analysing the effect of different spatial discretization strategies on an epidemiological model for the spread of the African Swine Fever virus among boar population. The researcher highlighted how the choice of discretization significantly affects the results, suggesting that it should be considered a source of uncertainty in epidemiological models, thus stressing the need to develop a more robust methodology.
Jaime Bosch from VISAVET Health Surveillance Centre and Animal Health Department, Complutense University of Madrid, Spain, showed how advanced techniques have been used in landscape connectivity studies to analyse wildlife dispersal networks, predicting the movements of wild boars and the potential spread of ASF, for effective disease control. By integrating structural and functional predictions on wild boar connectivity with population abundance and ASF notifications, the impact of infection on wild boar in Europe can be calculated, identifying key areas for control and surveillance measures.
Artificial intelligence in a One Health approach
Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Deep Learning (DL) are technologies that have transformed many industries and are driving global innovation, as highlighted by Elisa Ficarra, Department of Engineering “Enzo Ferrari” University of Modena and Reggio Emilia. The crucial point of these approaches is the quality and quantity of the available data, its accuracy as the foundation of AI models, and the need to integrate different data sources to build complex real systems. The potential of AI was highlighted in network analysis of disease transmission pathways, with the ability to detect patterns and hidden correlations in health data, enabling targeted and timely actions to prevent the spread of zoonotic diseases. An example of this was presented by Matthew Edwards, EpiVet, New Zealand, who focused on mitigating heat stress in livestock, which is central to the predominant grazing system in New Zealand. Using high-resolution satellite images and deep learning algorithms, the project "Shade from Space", through the identification of trees and the estimation of their shadow, aims to optimize the provision of shelters and shaded areas on a national scale.
Network analysis to identify transmission routes
Rowland Kao, Professor of Veterinary Epidemiology and Data Science at the Roslin Institute & School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Edinburgh, presented examples from his experience showing how changes in land use can affect/influence disease risk, a crucial piece of information for decision-making processes in management. He emphasized how rapid and extensive environmental changes, coupled with significant biodiversity loss and growing food security concerns, have profound implications for global health. For this purpose, complex analytical tools and mathematical and statistical methods are needed, which require an interdisciplinary approach.
Genetics and bioinformatics
This session highlighted how increasingly versatile and user-friendly bioinformatics tools are rapidly advancing our understanding of disease spread, antimicrobial resistance, and the evolutionary dynamics of microbial populations.
Simon Dellicour from the Spatial Epidemiology Lab (SpELL) at the Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), Belgium, presented a study on new methodologies for using landscape phylogeography to compare and explain the heterogeneous spatial dynamics of epidemics caused by viruses using viral gene sequences. His work illustrated how integrating genetic and spatial data allows for a better understanding of how diseases spread across different landscapes and populations. This approach can identify key factors influencing the spread of pathogens and inform more effective control strategies.
Spatio-temporal surveillance and modelling
Various topics related to the surveillance and modelling of animal diseases over time and space arose in this part of the conference. These methodologies enable the identification of disease spread patterns, the detection of high-risk areas, and the planning of targeted intervention strategies. Spatial-temporal surveillance involves the collection of geographically and temporally referenced data, while spatial-temporal models combine this information to create predictions and risk maps. These tools are widely used in veterinary public health, in the management of zoonotic diseases and in the prevention of epidemics.
GeoVet2023: a global crossroad
One of the most significant moments of the conference was the roundtable discussion titled “GeoVet Science into practice for One Health”. This event featured active participation from representatives of the Quadripartite organizations (FAO, UNEP, WHO, WOAH), the European Space Agency (ESA), the Barcelona Supercomputing Centre, and epidemiologists from academia and national health services. The discussion highlighted the importance of global cooperation in addressing health challenges.
Spatial epidemiology, geostatistics, and GIS research are designed to provide advanced solutions for data analysis, visualization, and information dissemination to support decision-making. However, scientific research faces several challenges in translating findings into sustainable decision-making tools for One Health systems. This process requires the integration of complex data to meet the specific needs of stakeholders. The roundtable offered a unique opportunity to reflect on how science can be effectively translated into practice for One Health.
During the conference, 50 posters were presented each with a brief three-minute presentation during four dedicated sessions. This format provided researchers with the opportunity to share their work and allowed the Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale of Teramo to award the four best posters showed by students. The awards were given following an evaluation by the Scientific Committee, aiming to encourage students in their future endeavours.
Before the conference, three interdisciplinary workshops focused on specific topics: two workshops focused on "Basis and Applications of Optical Remote Sensing: from Data to Information," and one on "Phylogenetic Methods for Genomic Surveillance of Infectious Diseases."
Conclusions
GeoVet 2023 was an exciting and inspiring event for the future of research with a very active participation and great enthusiasm from researchers. The conference was a crucial moment of exchange and consideration on geospatial research, characterized by complex scientific discussions and high-quality interactions.
The scientific program, enriched by five keynotes, eight senior debates, 43 engaging talks and 50 informative posters, covered a wide range of scientific disciplines, strongly promoting interdisciplinary collaboration between scientific institutions and scientific organisations. Highlighting these challenges was the dialogue during the roundtable with International Organizations and researchers, which clearly demonstrated the potential of a broad collaboration program capable of exploring the symbiotic relationship between science and policy decisions. A dialogue that opened the doors to constructive engagement between scientists and institutions, paving the way for significant change scenarios. For this reason, the established relationships and shared knowledge during this conference will continue to shape the future of interdisciplinary geospatial research for the "One Health era".
References
Carla Ippoliti, Lara Savini, Americo Bonanni, Annamaria Conte
Statistics and GIS Unit
Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell’Abruzzo e del Molise “G. Caporale” Teramo, Italia
