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Optimizing CWD Surveillance through Modeling and Data Management

Principal Investigator: Krysten Schuler

Public & Ecosystem Health
Sponsor: USDA (USDA-APHIS)
Grant Number: AP24WSNWRC00C065
Title: Optimizing CWD Surveillance through Modeling and Data Management
Project Amount: $277,662
Project Period: September 2024 to September 2025

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant):

CWD transmission among cervids poses a serious threat to wildlife as well as to the farmed cervid industry. Continued spread of CWD despite decades of mitigation activities has demonstrated that cooperation between and among wildlife and agriculture agencies is essential for any hope of successful management. The Surveillance Optimization Project for Chronic Wasting Disease (SOP4CWD) aids interagency cooperation and collaboration by providing a framework for wildlife agencies to curate, standardize, store, and use their CWD surveillance data for disease decision support. To date, SOP4CWD has successfully executed Phase I (The Models), Phase II (The Warehouse), and Phase III (Expansion West). Currently, the CWD Warehouse contains infrastructure to curate data, run models, and produce interactive maps that enable the user to (1) identify the optimal allocation of sampling resources given financial constraints; (2) ascertain locations in which a deer might test positive for CWD; (3) compare and contrast alternative sampling strategies; and (4) target areas where disease introduction risks are higher or historical testing information is lacking. This agreement will support SOP4CWD Phase IV, which will enhance the utility of the SOP4CWD Warehouse by adding capacity to accommodate additional data, species, agencies, and outputs.