FAO launches new global information system for animal disease threats

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has launched a new global animal disease information system. The new web-based system will better support countries in identifying and mitigating serious animal disease threats.

EMPRES-i+ replaces an earlier version, EMPRES-i, which was first launched in 2004 and has been widely used by hundreds of stakeholders ranging from local communities to global development partners.

The upgraded platform’s features include:

• cloud-based platform with ability to link to other data platforms from public health, animal health, and environmental sectors.
• advanced data analytics for users to easily identify disease events and trends. Moreover, it will also help countries to plan their disease control approaches and target interventions.
• forecasting and early warning functions to allow countries to monitor disease spreading and the risk of new outbreaks. From this function, countries will be able to prepare for possible disease outbreaks early in advance.