title: Multi-disease data management system platform for vector-borne diseases.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Emerging information technologies present new opportunities to reduce the burden of malaria, dengue and other infectious diseases. For example, use of a data management system software package can help disease control programs to better manage and analyze their data, and thus enhances their ability to carry out continuous surveillance, monitor interventions and evaluate control program performance.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We describe a novel multi-disease data management system platform (hereinafter referred to as the system) with current capacity for dengue and malaria that supports data entry, storage and query. It also allows for production of maps and both standardized and customized reports. The system is comprised exclusively of software components that can be distributed without the user incurring licensing costs. It was designed to maximize the ability of the user to adapt the system to local conditions without involvement of software developers. Key points of system adaptability include 1) customizable functionality content by disease, 2) configurable roles and permissions, 3) customizable user interfaces and display labels and 4) configurable information trees including a geographical entity tree and a term tree. The system includes significant portions of functionality that is entirely or in large part re-used across diseases, which provides an economy of scope as new diseases downstream are added to the system at decreased cost.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We have developed a system with great potential for aiding disease control programs in their task to reduce the burden of dengue and malaria, including the implementation of integrated vector management programs. Next steps include evaluations of operational implementations of the current system with capacity for dengue and malaria, and the inclusion in the system platform of other important vector-borne diseases.
authors.affiliation: Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States of America. lars.eisen@colostate.edu
authors.forename: Lars
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Eisen
authors.forename: Marlize
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Coleman
authors.forename: Saul
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lozano-Fuentes
authors.forename: Nathan
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: McEachen
authors.forename: Miguel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Orlans
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Coleman
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003140:Communicable Disease Control / Q000379:methods*; D003715:Dengue / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D018562:Disease Transmission, Infectious / Q000517:prevention & control; D004199:Disease Vectors; D001330:Electronic Data Processing / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D008288:Malaria / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D012984:Software