title: Technical Description of the Distribute Project: A Community-based Syndromic Surveillance System Implementation.
abstract: This paper describes the design of a syndromic surveillance system implemented for community-based monitoring of influenza-like illness. The system began as collaboration between colleagues from state and large metropolitan area health jurisdictions, academic institutions, and the non-profit, International Society for Disease Surveillance. Over the six influenza seasons from 2006 to 2012, the system was automated and enhanced, with new features and infrastructure, and the resulting, reliable, enterprise grade system supported peer comparisons between 44 state and local public health jurisdictions who voluntarily contributed summarized data on influenza-like illness and gastrointestinal syndromes. The system was unusual in that it addressed the needs of a widely distributed, voluntary, community engaged in real-time data integration to support operational public health.
authors.affiliation: University of Washington, Seattle, WA.
authors.forename: William B
authors.initials: WB
authors.lastname: Lober
authors.affiliation: University of Colorado | Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO.
authors.forename: Blaine
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Reeder
authors.affiliation: University of Washington, Seattle, WA.
authors.forename: Ian
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Painter
authors.affiliation: University of Washington, Seattle, WA.
authors.forename: Debra
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Revere
authors.affiliation: University of Washington, Seattle, WA.
authors.forename: Kim
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Goldov
authors.affiliation: University of Washington, Seattle, WA.
authors.forename: Paul F
authors.initials: PF
authors.lastname: Bugni
authors.affiliation: University of Washington, Seattle, WA.
authors.forename: Justin
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: McReynolds
authors.affiliation: International Society for Disease Surveillance, New York City, NY.
authors.forename: Donald R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Olson
keywords: Internet; public health standards; secondary use of health data; surveillance practice; syndromic surveillance