Health Surveillance Ontology (HSO)

Note that this can refer to a material entity like an organ or muscle, or an immaterial entity (a site or fiat boundary) like skin, stomach cavity or lung surface.

"This observable is important where process of capturing sample can affect dna extraction."

Formerly, this class was an experimental class and a subclass of "environmental feature". It is now aligned to BFO. The class was not obsoleted as the core semantics maintained their stability through its transition.

The thresholds for what makes a settlment "dense" can be determined as needed. If there is a specific threshold that should be added to ENVO, please make a new class request.

A specific surveillance activity that is planned and has (or will have) associated results. A surveillance component or a surveillance system could both be a surveillance activity. Ideally, every activity would have unique attributes for methods - for instance, only one sampling stage. If samples are collected in a slaughterhouse AND in farms, these would ideally be modeled as two different activities, and the appropriate properties used to declare them as linked. But since activities are not defined the same in every health surveillance sector, nor do all data support such a granularity, the class is able to model methods and results for any surveillance activity declared.

One surveillance activity should have an unique identifier, to which results are linked.

The act of being a "planned activity" is used in the context of OBI, where his implies the existence of a protocol for action. Therefore, surveillance activities such as outbreak investigations, are also considered a planned process (even if the outbreak itself is not a planned occurrence, the response to one is planned for).

Can be inferred if enough information about the specimen is given, but can also be assigned directly when the source of information only specifies the type of speciment (for instance when using the SSD2 terminology, catalog MTXTYP).

inferred categorization of specimens based on the informaiton provided in matrix type and/or regarding the anatomical entity targetted

Describe how units have been planned to be sampled Sampling at the primary sampling unit (PSU) level Describe the information used to calculate sample size at the PSU level, e.g. the number of PSU in the population (see section 6 also), (between−herd) design prevalence, desired confidence, desired power, sensitivity, specificity. If recommended parameters from international standards are used, indicate the source of such standards (e.g. OIE) Sampling at the secondary sampling unit (SSU) level Describe the information used to calculate sample size at the SSU level, e.g. the number of SSU in the population (see section 6 also), (within−herd) design prevalence, desired confidence, desired power, sensitivity, specificity.

Categorization of diagnostic tests used in health surveillance. This information can be assigned to a test, or inferred from test characteristics if enough information is given about it.

inferred categorization of specimens based on the matrix type informaiton provided regarding their source

A surveillance activity is then a specific execution of a surveillance protocol, which generates specific results. A surveillance protocol exists efore a surveillance activity is carried out, and can exist even in the absence of a surveillance activity - for instance there cna be a surveillance protocol for outbreak investigations, but the exucition of a surveillance activity and associated results will only be available if an outbreak is detected.

This objective is appropriate if the hazard is present, regardless of whether the hazard occurrence is endemic, epidemic or sporadic, and action will be taken to control disease whenever it is detected.

This objective is appropriate if the target hazard is thought to be absent in the territory to be covered and the aim is to demonstrate disease freedom for trade or non−trade purposes (e.g. improve public health, to decide when to stop an eradication programme and to eliminate production losses and control costs due to endemic disease). This may apply to diseases which a) have been historically absent, b) have been eradicated and official freedom has been confirmed or c) are thought to be eradicated, but official freedom has not yet been confirmed.

This objective is appropriate for a situation where the disease is currently absent in the country or region. It may be applied to surveillance for an unknown disease or a known disease considered to pose a non−negligible risk of incursion or emergence. It may also apply to the early stages of an outbreak.

This objective is appropriate if the target hazard is (thought to be) present in the territory to be covered, and an assessment of the prevalence and or changes in prevalence over time is needed.

This does not include the definition of how many samples will collected, but specifically how they will be collected - where, by whom, etc.

Surveillance sentinels should act as a proxy for the larger population of interest; they may be selected on the basis of risk but can also be selected randomly or on the basis of convenience or compliance.

Participatory surveillance explores traditional information networks by using participatory rural appraisal methods such as ranking, scoring and visualisation techniques to conduct risk-based, hazard-specific surveillance. The approach uses semi-structured interviews with key informants. This enables communities to provide their knowledge regarding health events, risks, impacts and control opportunities by gathering qualitative health data from defined populations. The analysis of participatory data emphasises the comparison of information obtained from multiple informants; the method uses a variety of techniques to obtain the most likely interpretation of events. The objective is to enhance sensitivity by identifying cases based on a clinical case definition; these may then be evaluated and confirmed using either rapid tests in the field or laboratory diagnostics. Conventional epidemiological investigation techniques can be used to evaluate and confirm outbreaks detected by participatory surveillance as part of trace-back and trace-forwards activities.

Traditional disease surveillance which relies on the collection of data about the occurrence of pre-defined diseases or conditions and which uses agreed-upon case definitions; these data are analysed to produce indicators that point towards the existence of a threat. Indicator-based surveillance may be hazard-specific or general and includes the use of clinical or other data for syndromic surveillance

Information collected through syndromic surveillance may be used to indicate a sufficient probability of a change in the health of the population to deserve further investigation or to enable a timely assessment of the impact of health threats which may require action. This type of surveillance is not usually focused on a particular hazard so can be used to detect a variety of diseases or pathogens including new (emerging) diseases. This type of surveillance is particularly applicable for early warning surveillance.

2/3/2009 Comment from OBI review.

Action specification not well enough specified. Conditional specification not well enough specified. Question whether all plan specifications have objective specifications.

Request that IAO either clarify these or change definitions not to use them