Towards a Platform for Widespread Embedded Intelligence - ERCIM

60
R&D AND TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER
Satellite Communication Services
SAFE: Satellites for Epidemiology
and Health Early Warning
by Catherine Chronaki and Laurent Braak
The risk of epidemics and emerging or re-emerging diseases such as avian flu
or chikungunya fever is rising. Luckily, these risks can be contained with
prevention, early warning, and prompt management. In this context, current early
warning and response systems, although well-developed in Europe, could benefit
from satellite services.
Detection and monitoring of potential
risks has become an important part of the
so-called 'Epidemic Intelligence' as a
reaction of surveillance systems to the
risk of epidemics arriving from lessdeveloped
areas outside Europe. Health
early warning systems in areas remote,
inaccessible, or prone to natural or manmade
disasters enabled by satellite communications
can significantly limit the
risk of onset and the effects of epidemics
and contribute to settling major public
health issues. Economically speaking,
satellite communications can also save
money by enabling rapid and coordinated
response and optimal adjustments
of resources when deploying an emergency
plan.
The SAFE project, co-funded by the
European Space Agency (ESA), will
develop and demonstrate the added
value of satellite communication services,
including low and high bandwidth
access to Internet, co-operative working
and geolocalisation for all phases of biological
crisis SAFE including Concept prevention, (1) early
Field agents
Field
laboratory
SAFE Coordination van
Local application server
Operation field
GPS
Globalstar
warning, and crisis management. SAFE
aims to establish a roadmap for ESA to
determine how satellite services, by
enabling or restoring access to information,
can be integrated in European
healthcare systems and civil protection
authorities.
The SAFE project is part of the ESA
telemedicine via satellite transition
phase, set up to pave the way for the creation
of a European user-driven
telemedicine via satellite programme.
ESA together with the World Health
Organization (WHO) are joining forces
for reaching this goal.
ESA through SAFE and with the assistance
of WHO will specify, develop, and
demonstrate a European outbreak early
warning system that will become a key
tool for the national and European bodies
in charge of epidemiological surveillance
and especially the European
Center for Disease Control (ECDC).
SAFE aims towards a better assessment
of the epidemiological risks based on
Globalstar Gateway
SAFE
remote
application
server
Sat comm. Provider
terrestrial gateway
Network equipment
Internet
Data consulting on remote site
Video conference users
Data handling (consulting,
meeting, reporting)
End users / Expert centers
08/08/2006 SAFE 1
Components of the SAFE demonstrator.
ERCIM News No. 67, October 2006
DVB-RCS
Eutelsat
real-time objective data, which is a
strategic objective not only for public
health policy, but also for the eHealth
industry. The SAFE solution that will be
marketed to the different actors of epidemiological
surveillance comprises the
following components:
• a network of expert centers and hospitals
able to communicate by satellite,
and interoperable with other networks
(eg gateways to Galileo and GMES-
RESPOND);
• a coordination van equipped with a
DVB-RCS capability and Internet
access for communication with decision
makers and expert centers. It has
the role of the local coordination
centre. Communication between the
local coordinator and the mobile teams
on the field will be ensured via a local
Wi-Fi network and Satellite phones
outside the Wi-Fi coverage. Mobile
teams will be equipped with handheld
terminals for data collection;
• a field laboratory or lab kit equipped
with biological and biomedical equipment
will identify microbial agents
responsible for the threats to enable insitu
analysis;
• a SAFE information system including
a data collection sub-system and a
GIS. Besides geolocalisation, the GIS
will enable visualizing the evolution of
the epidemic and monitoring the alarm
levels associated with the different
geographical regions. This system will
be based on relevant standards and
will be interoperable with existing
information systems, ie national health
information system, deployable emergency
response information system,
epidemiological information systems
and others. It will facilitate monitoring
of indicators and other measures
potentially useful in modeling the
transmission patterns. Dissemination
of this data can be done with the
Internet capability via satellite.
An end-to-end case of early warning at
the onset of an epidemic will be demon-