INTRODUCTION:
A recent scoping review has revealed that while Geographic Information System (GIS) is utilized as a tool capable of supporting aquatic animal health activities, its application is not fully structured by operators involved in health surveillance and research activities in the aquatic domain. Therefore, it is considered crucial to establish a set of basic GIS-type knowledge to be used for projects of interest in the aquatic animal health domain.
In 2022, the "Aquae Strength" project, was launched to enhance aquaculture disease management in four beneficiary countries from the Far East, Middle East, and North Africa. One of the work packages included in the project aims at developing capacity building on the GIS body of knowledge to support aquatic animal health activities.
METHODOLOGY:
Two main activities have been identified: (i) the identification and development of the workforce issues useful for GIS application in the aquatic animal health domain, and (ii) the definition of training programs.
The identification of GIS workforce, which is not discussed in this communication, is based on expert elicitation sessions, development of feature concept documents, GIS project development framework, and development of best practices. Regarding the training programs, which are the topic of this communication, two types of courses have been defined: (i) in-person courses, and (ii) eLearning courses. Both approaches are focused on practical application and designed to overcome traditional obstacles to data availability and technological gaps, facilitating the development of GIS projects adapted to local needs. The course program focuses on the applications of GIS in various aquatic environments, including marine, transitional, and freshwater settings. It covers a wide range of topics starting from the fundamentals of GIS concepts and tools to practical data management and analysis that are relevant to fish farming, derived from laboratory outcomes, outbreak data, and fish farm registries. The course also discusses the use of GIS to support epidemiology activities, early disease detection, prevention of their spread, as well as the creation of thematic maps for decision-makers.
RESULTS:
The in-presence course was tested twice - first in November 2023 with a group of trainees from Cambodia and later in March 2024 with another group from Morocco and Tunisia. The participants had diverse professional competencies and backgrounds, working in the field of aquaculture animal health sector. Their feedback on the questionnaire administered at the end of the course was overwhelmingly positive.
CONCLUSION:
Enhancing diversity and building capacity in GIS within the aquatic animal health domain is the mission of the IZSVe-GIS aquatic group. Current GIS education fails to provide the necessary background to meet the needs of GIS technology users or the scientific community engaged in aquatic animal health. The program to implement a body of knowledge on GIS in aquatic animal health defined by IZSVe aims to fill this gap and promote a mature and efficient use of GIS technologies.
FUNDING:
This study was made possible thanks to funding support provided by the Italian Ministry of Health and the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) for the international cooperation project entitled “Strengthening capacity on aquatic animal health and epidemiological surveillance” led by the Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle Venezie (IZSVe).