A framework for One Health research

Lebov, J.; Grieger, K.; Womack, D.; Zaccaro, D.; Whitehead, N.; Kowalcyk, B.; MacDonald, P.D.M.

Data may come from existing databases, such as those managed by regulatory agencies (e.g. Environmental Protection Agency and United States Department of Agriculture databases) and human and animal health organizations (e.g. WHO's Global Health Observatory data repository [9] and the World Animal Health Information Database [10] ), or from new data collection efforts (e.g. soil and water sample collection, health questionnaires), or a combination of these. Geo-coded data, such as the Gridded Livestock of the World database from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations [11] , provide complementary information to augment analyses. Data collected at frequent intervals (e.g. hourly or daily) and/or in small, specific environments (e.g. household or watershed) are useful for evaluating local and timesensitive interactions between animal, human, and environmental factors, while broader datasets (e.g. annual or national) may be used for evaluating health trends associated with more broad-reaching changes in, for example, national policies (e.g. emissions requirements), multinational corporate strategies (e.g. a decision to cut energy use), or climate patterns. It is important to review and assess the costs and benefits of incorporating various data sources before beginning to develop an OH study design.