An evaluation of biosurveillance grid--dynamic algorithm distribution across multiple computer nodes

Performing fast data analysis to detect disease outbreaks plays a critical role in real-time biosurveillance. In this paper, we described and evaluated an Algorithm Distribution Manager Service (ADMS) based on grid technologies, which dynamically partition and distribute detection algorithms across multiple computers. We compared the execution time to perform the analysis on a single computer and on a grid network (3 computing nodes) with and without using dynamic algorithm distribution. We found that algorithms with long runtime completed approximately three times earlier in distributed environment than in a single computer while short runtime algorithms performed worse in distributed environment. A dynamic algorithm distribution approach also performed better than static algorithm distribution approach. This pilot study shows a great potential to reduce lengthy analysis time through dynamic algorithm partitioning and parallel processing, and provides the opportunity of distributing algorithms from a client to remote computers in a grid network.