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Project Argus |
Fig. 1: Air-Transportation
Query Page
The frequency of biological events with a potential impact on homeland
security is increasing, and current disease surveillance systems in the United States
(U.S.) have been inefficient in their capacity to detect these events in a timely
fashion. The clear and present danger to the United States spans infectious diseases
of humans, animals, and plants.
Indications and Warnings (I&Ws) alert U.S. responders of an imminent
bioevent weeks to months in advance. I&Ws are markers occurring globally, outside
of U.S. borders, before an outbreak can affect U.S. interests, forces, citizens,
or territory,
thus allowing the U.S. time to respond. In effect, I&Ws can prime the national
response infrastructure by alerting agencies of an evolving threat that could ultimately
be catastrophic. Retrospective analyses of major bioevents have demonstrated the presence of multiple
I&Ws were present in multiple data sources weeks to months in advance, which were
not recognized and utilized properly by the national response community.
Fig. 2: Situation Awareness
Tool (High-lighting Europe)
For the U.S. to meet present and future biothreats that span agricultural,
animal, and human considerations, an integrative strategy for information discovery,
exploitation, and effective proactive use by the response community is critical.
I&Ws provide a key component for integration within the U.S.
biosurveillance portfolio, enabling earlier warning potential. Project Argus
is the first attempt to integrate I&Ws in effort to detect catastrophic bioevents on an international
scale. The Argus system serves as a primer for U.S. countermeasure
response plans in the context of a potentially catastrophic bioevent.
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