BIG DATA ANALYTICS IN PUBLIC HEALTH SURVEILLANCE AND EPIDEMIOLOGICAL MONITORING

Abstract

Public health surveillance has traditionally relied on structured, periodic reporting of defined notifiable conditions through dedicated epidemiological channels. The accumulation of large-scale digital data streams, including electronic health records, pharmacy dispensing records, laboratory information systems, internet search query logs, social media activity, and, increasingly, mobility data derived from mobile network operators, has created the possibility of near-real-time, high-resolution public health surveillance that substantially shortens the interval between the emergence of a public health signal and its detection by health authorities, a capability whose importance was demonstrated prominently during the COVID-19 pandemic.