Exploration of Cloud Solutions to Enhance Global Infectious Diseases Research Training Program Activities

Jamaica and the Caribbean region endure cyclic epidemics of arboviral diseases transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes, including chikungunya, dengue, yellow fever, and Zika. Ministries of Health (MOH) across the region constantly monitor the spread of these viruses and conduct routine surveillance for the emergence of pandemic strains of respiratory viruses including influenza and SARS-CoV-2. The University of the West Indies (UWI) in Jamaica plays a key role in viral surveillance as it houses the National Influenza Center which provides weekly reports to the Surveillance Unit of the MOH. In addition, it has Jamaica's only Next Generation Sequencer which is used in both surveillance and research. This supplement application will support and expand the objectives of the parent grant, Global Infectious Diseases (GID) Research Training Progrsn The GID recently received a competitive renewal to train the next generation of Jamaican researchers using cutting edge methodologies. We consider that working knowledge of data migration and manipulation in a shared computational cloud environment is essential. The goal of this supplement application is to migrate virus surveillance data to the cloud to allow for deeper analysis by researchers and trainees from multiple UWI campuses and access to richer data for new research projects. The first phase will allow collaborators at University at BuffalolSUNY, UWI, and CTIS, Inc., the cloud collaborator, to meet virtually for training purposes and determine the most efficient strategy for migration of existing virus surveillance databases maintained at UWI and the MOH to the cloud. The MOH operates five surveillance sites across Jamaica from which samples from individuals with fever, rash and respiratory illness are submitted to the UWI Department of Microbiology or the National Public Health Laboratory for diagnosis. The Surveillance Unit produces a weekly epidemiological bulletin which is shared on its website, but the data are not readily available for further analysis and no additional research occurs. Data from this database are shared with the Pan American Health Organization and Caribbean Public Health Agency to publish bulletins on viral incidence. The second phase will include migration of the data, initial testing and review among the MOH-GID team, before the cloud dataset is made "live." The third phase will assess how the cloud resource was used by the MOH-GID team and the broader research community, and costs and benefits. The UWI is at the forefront of virology research and training through its graduate research programs in viral discovery in human and mosquito vectors through a collaborative network of investigators. These programs will gain from the proposed exploration of cloud solutions to enhance infectious diseases research in Jamaica.