AREA: A Mobile Application for Rapid Epidemiology Assessment

Health crises are challenging because the normal channels of communication and ways of reporting have often broken down under novel and unexpected circumstances. The most critical need in such situations is accurate, timely, and relevant information. AREA is a mobile application designed specifically for bio surveillance and health crisis resiliency. The app helps health workers identify and obtain the most critical information to assess and mitigate health risks; distribute these data in a secure and curated way, and optimize cross-organizational resource allocation. AREA provides situation awareness, comprehension, and projection of relevant on-the-ground information. In short, AREA meets the most pressing need in health crisis management.TheAreaappcombines state-of-the-art social networking technology with advanced, proven algorithms for assessing risk and managing distributed resources. Intuitive user experience design ensures that the Area app is easy to understand and to use, even for non-technical personnel. The Area app is designed for application in all phases of public health or humanitarian crisis management, from Early Detection/Onset to Response/Relief and Recovery/Transition.