Removing a barrier to computer-based outbreak and disease surveillance--the RODS Open Source Project

Area of Science:

• Public Health Informatics
• Software Engineering
• Epidemiology

Background:

• Effective computer-based disease surveillance demands high-quality, affordable, and well-supported software.
• Open-source frameworks offer a rapid development model with free distribution and community-driven enhancements.

Purpose of the Study:

• To accelerate the deployment of computer-based outbreak and disease surveillance systems.
• To foster a collaborative community of users, developers, and scientists around the RODS software.

Main Methods:

• The University of Pittsburgh released the RODS software under the GNU General Public License.
• An infrastructure including a website, mailing lists, and shared development tools was established.
• Community growth and project progress are tracked via website analytics, downloads, inquiries, deployments, and code contributions.

Main Results:

• Between September-November 2003, the project website received 5,370 page views and 59 software downloads.
• 20 inquiries were received, one new system deployment occurred, and four new features were added to the codebase.
• Initial adoption focused on using the software as-is, with limited customization or new feature development.

Conclusions:

• The open-source model shows promise for rapid development and deployment of disease surveillance software.
• The RODS project anticipates increased customization and community contributions to the codebase post-initial installation.
• Continued community engagement is crucial for the long-term success and evolution of open-source public health software.