The national funding initiative, GeoConnections, has awarded federal sponsorship to Infonaut and our partners, recognizing our innovative investigative GIS concept, and supporting development of a web-based real-time GIS disease detection and outbreak response application.

Working with Kingston, Frontenac and Lennox & Addington Public Health (KFL&A PH), Queen’s University Public Health Informatics (QPHI), the Sault Ste Marie Innovation Centre (SSMIC) & ESRI Canada, Infonaut is advancing GIS systems towards applied disease surveillance (“syndromic surveillance”) for respiratory and gastrointestinal conditions. Syndromic surveillance targets these conditions because of their rapid transmission rate and high burden on community health services.

Supported by data from seven area hospitals, the map-based surveillance and alert system being developed by Infonaut and KFL&A PH will use real-time anonymized respiratory and gastrointestinal patient information to improve response to disease outbreaks.

Many public health departments do not currently use geospatial information in their disease surveillance, but a growing body of knowledge proves that spatial data can help predict, track and stop the spread of these diseases. With Infonaut’s assistance, KFL&A PH is building the type of decision support system that has the potential to predict and minimize pandemics, and supports the type of appropriate public health actions that can save lives.

Infonaut’s map-based reporting allows for instantaneous information sharing and enhanced communications between the community and key public health decision makers, including the local Medical Officer of Health, doctors, hospitals and researchers, making Infonaut’s GIS-solutions ideal as a real-time disease control application.

For more information on Infonaut’s products and services, please contact us at info@infonaut.ca.