Operation Dragonfire: The Development of a Crowd-Sourced Data Surveillance Tool for Public Health Preparedness and Response

Brief Summary: Obtaining, tracking, and analyzing real-time data during public health emergencies remains a challenge and also an important opportunity. Operation Dragon Fire (ODF) was initiated by a cross-agency workgroup to create a cloud-based, participatory platform to fill the gap in real-time, local, and accurate information received during the initial phase of an emergency; supporting enhanced situation awareness, informed decision making, and rapid deployment of resources.  This innovative system will integrate multiple data sources – crowdsourced information, social media data, and traditional data – and validate information using gold standard surveillance data to provide a single trusted source of publically accessible information and a tool to support two-way communication and dissemination of emergency information in real-time. ODF is establishing the system by leveraging a diverse range of expertise from federal agencies, NGOs, state/local health departments, community groups, and preparedness and information technology experts.