Initially, data sharing agreements with data providers were made bilaterally to ensure access to relevant data streams. A Joint Controller Agreement was set up by those project partners that share data from sources outside the project. Guidelines and training material were developed on data stewardship in veterinary epidemiology to facilitate data access and re-use. Species-specific ontologies for data integration were created and updated when new data became available. Federated data access through both centralized and decentralized setups were implemented and tested using formatted veterinary diagnostic data of cattle and pigs aligned with species-specific ontology. The federated access infrastructure is scalable and adaptable across DECIDE use cases, through successful execution of cross-species (horizontal) and within-species (vertical) federated queries.
Various approaches were utilised to assess the need for, usefulness and use of data-driven tools in general and those developed within DECIDE, utilising social science concepts and methodologies, including focus group discussions and surveys. As some of the tools are potentially made public, consumer perceptions were also investigated in surveys to consider contextual factors of the use of the data tool. Two scenario- and game-based online experiments were developed to test the effect of design features of the tools on stakeholder decision making, regarding effectiveness and experience (i.e. alert levels and colours, comparisons to other nearby farms, type of information shown in the tool).
Frameworks for the biomass and animal health loss calculations were developed in collaboration with the GBADs (Global Burden of Animal Diseases) programme. The use of loss-expenditure frontiers to map out routes to more economically efficient disease control for endemic disease was explored. Frontiers position every farm relative to high performers and therefore provide a benchmarking system that could be integrated into decision-making tools. This also provides a structure for peer-to-peer knowledge transfer from high performing farms to others. Case studies were carried out for a specific endemic disease or disease complex in each of the four species.
An inventory within the consortium showed that a combination of welfare and disease data is rarely available. Only for poultry and veal calves such data were available and analysed. For pigs, the welfare quality protocol is applied to obtain such data. In addition, expert elicitation is applied for the welfare impact of BRD in dairy calves and will also be applied for porcine respiratory disease complex (PRDC) in pigs.
Multivariate dynamic linear models for early detection of diseases were built for data relating to each species in the project and multi-level (i.e. hierarchical) models for salmon and calves. Using the EMULSION software package, mechanistic models were developed for bovine respiratory disease (BRD) in calves and several respiratory pathogens in pigs. Software was developed to link monitoring data for early disease detection to the model that simulates disease spread and control options. The model is now validated on field data from calves and evaluated with stakeholders to verify its effectiveness for decision support.
Tool prototypes for technology demonstration, stakeholder co-creation, and data analysis innovation have been developed in DECIDE. A full description of their context, targeted user, data sources, tool architecture, user interface, content, and functions has been created. The sustainability aspects and tool developers’ plans for the work with their tools in the remainder of the project are assessed. Tool developers are supported in establishing a business plan for the tools.
Many activities were carried out to communicate about DECIDE and to ensure that its results were widely disseminated. This included the publication of practice abstracts and training materials in local languages, the project website and newsletters. A cluster event was organised with participants from related projects to discuss data re-use and stakeholder needs in the development and implementation of decision support tools for animal health professionals.
