April €10m Project Reaches Major Milestone to Strengthen Europe’s Pandemic Response Strategy

• New IT solution will allow the integration, collection and standardisation of real-time pandemic data
• Open-source tool reflects a variety of data sources including Influenzanet, ECDC Atlas and Covid19-datahub
• Real-time updates will strengthen capacity among European public health agencies for rapid response to future health emergencies

European pandemic preparedness and response project PANDEM-2 has launched the first version of ‘Pandem-source’, an IT solution that will support the work of pandemic managers by facilitating an efficient response to future pandemics across the European Union. These technologies are being created and produced by project partners and experts in the field including Epiconcept (France), UCLouvain (Belgium), Clarisoft (Romania), and NUI Galway (Ireland).

Pandem-Source is open-source and designed to meet the specific needs of public health agencies, governments and international organisations such as the ECDC and WHO. It enables the integration of real-time pandemic-relevant data from international systems (ECDC, TESSy), laboratory systems, social media (Twitter) and participatory surveillance which is web-based reporting of symptoms by volunteer citizens (e.g. Influenzanet).

The platform is open to the public and will particularly benefit those focused on systematically analysing and comparing various sources of pandemic-related data. Pandem-Source will feed into the upcoming ‘PANDEM-2 Dashboard’ where its components relating to situational awareness will be further developed through state-of-the-art visual analytics.

Commenting on this major milestone for the project, Francisco Orchard, Head of Data Science at Epiconcept said: “We’re proud to announce the first release of "Pandem-Source". We hope that this tool will support the work of pandemic managers across Europe by connecting them to real-time information from traditional and non-traditional sources. The tool means officials involved in the response to public health emergencies will have case numbers, hospitalisations, deaths, vaccination uptake to name a few at their fingertips. In doing so, we hope it can play a role in coordinating data involved in one location. It is open-source, easy to install and customisable. We encourage users from the industry to install and test out its compatibility and variety of data-rich sources.”

The COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated that our capacity to respond to pandemics was largely nation-based. Pandem-Source aims to play a role in a cross-border effort to create a system aimed at implementing a coordinated EU-wide response. Its flexibility will support the specific needs of pandemic managers across the EU by addressing the challenge of quick adaption and facilitating an efficient response to future pandemics as a result. However, the ultimate success of the system relies on a community effort across Europe.  

 Professor Máire Connolly of NUI Galway, PANDEM-2 Coordinator and expert in global health said: “I would like to acknowledge all partners involved in achieving this major milestone in the PANDEM-2 project. COVID-19 has affected every corner of society and had devastating health, economic and social impacts on countries worldwide.

In the event of a future pandemic, we hope that the Pandem-Source tool will play a role in the conversations that public health experts and policymakers are having. Pandem-Source will provide them with the comprehensive, accurate, up-to-the-minute data  that they will need to make better decisions.”

‘Pandem-Source’ is available to download here, feedback is welcomed and can be sent to info@pandem-2.eu

ENDS