IBM will use an Interoperable Healthcare Information Infrastructure (IHII), designed to facilitate the sharing of clinical data and trends including the outbreak if disease among medical facilities, laboratories and public health agencies.
The company also plans to build a community of users around its epidemiological modeling framework, called Spatio-Temporal Epidemiological Modeller (STEM). This can tap the information collected by IHII, along with additional roadmaps, airport locations and travel patterns. It will allow users to rapidly develop models for how a disease is likely to geographically spread over time.
IBM will also form a collaborative initiative named Project Checkmate with The Scripps Research Institute to predict potential virus mutations. IBM’s BlueGene computer will enhance predictive techniques, allowing drug-makers to develop effective vaccines.
The members of the Pandemic Initiative steering committee include: the US Agency for International Development, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the World Health Organization.
