About the Wildlife Disease Information Node

WDIN is a collaborative project working to develop a Web-based monitoring and reporting system to provide state and federal resource managers, animal disease specialists, veterinary diagnostic laboratories, physicians, public health workers, educators, and the general public with access to data on wildlife diseases, mortality events, and other critical related information. Data are contributed voluntarily, with partners deciding which data they choose to share.

The Node is a dynamic and evolving Web resource, reflecting the expanding and continually changing face of wildlife disease. As more partners come together as part of this collaborative project, the resulting distributed wildlife disease data warehouse can be a valuable resource for all to share and use to enhance the understanding, surveillance, management, control, and prevention of wildlife diseases around the world.

WDIN fact sheet

About the NBII

The National Biological Information Infrastructure (NBII) is an electronic information network that provides access to biological data and information on our nation’s plants, animals, and ecosystems. Data and information maintained by federal, state, and local government agencies; non-government organizations; and private-sector organizations are linked through the NBII gateway and made accessible to a variety of audiences including researchers, natural resource managers, decision-makers, educators, students, and other private citizens.

WDIN Objectives

Building partnerships and providing tools to facilitate long-term collaborative efforts in the wildlife disease arena.

• Facilitate access to data and information on wildlife and zoonotic diseases;
• Visualize clusters on morbidity and mortality events;
• Track the prevalence and spread of various diseases at the most discrete spatial and temporal levels through interactive GIS mapping and other applications;
• Predict possible new disease appearances;
• Identify previously unrecognized wildlife-human-domestic animal disease relationships;
• Help limit further disease spread;
• Help prevent future outbreaks.

WDIN Partners

National/Federal

Department of Homeland Security – Infectious Disease Informatics Working Group
USDA – APHIS – Wildlife Services and state cooperators
USDA – APHIS – Veterinary Services
USFWS and state cooperators
USGS National Wildlife Health Center

State / Regional

Maryland Department of Natural Resources
Idaho Fish and Game
Nebraska Game and Parks Commission
Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study
Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife
Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife
Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources

Non-Governmental

Consortium for Conservation Medicine
International Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies
Wildlife Conservation Society
Wildlife Information Network

Educational

Conservation Management Institute
Tufts Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine
University of Wisconsin, Nelson Institute of Environmental Studies
University of Wisconsin, School of Library and Information Studies
Yale Occupational and Environmental Medicine Program (CanaryDatabase)

WDIN Personnel

Matt Brost – Student Programmer
Karen M. Cunningham – IT Consultant
F. Joshua Dein – Project Leader
Kristin Eschenfelder – UW / GLNF CESU Principal Investigator
Steven Gustafson – Information Technology Specialist
Megan K. Hines – Technical Manager
Dan Lettow – Programming Assistant
Cris M. Marsh – Content Manager
Barbara Nash – Program Coordinator
Bryan J. Richards – CWDDC Consultant
Erica Schmitz – Program Coordinator
David Welther – Resource Cataloger
Kathy Wesenberg – NWHC Librarian
Krissy W. Wick – Resource Cataloger
Robert C. Worrest – NBII Node Manager / NBII Chief Scientist

WDIN Alumni

Thomas N. Beighly
Tomika Briscoe
Ellen M. Christensen
Kathryn K. Cleary
Jason Endres
Margaret Highland
Tosia Priebe
Harold E. Rihn
Yan Sun

Contact Information

NBII Wildlife Disease Information Node
USGS National Wildlife Health Center
6006 Schroeder Road
Madison, WI 53711 USA

Phone: +1. 608.270.2459
Fax: +1.608.270.2418
Email: wdin@usgs.gov