Background and Aim
The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted critical technology limitations in existing communicable disease surveillance systems across Australia, particularly their inability to rapidly adjust to changing data requirements and outbreak dynamics. To address this gap, Sentinel, a new open-source, epidemiologist-first surveillance platform was developed, designed to give public health professionals full control over the configuration of their data systems without complete reliance on software developers.
Methods and Analysis
Sentinel was built as a modular, metadata-driven web application that enables users with minimal technical expertise to define custom variables, configure outbreak modules, automate workflows, manage case and contact tracing, and generate advanced analytics.
The system was iteratively tested using simulated outbreak scenarios such as evolving case definitions, unknown pathogens, and shifting investigation or political requirements. System outcomes were assessed as whether public health tasks could be completed without code changes.
Outcomes
Sentinel allows users to introduce new data elements, modify workflows, and adapt to non-linear outbreak patterns without developer input.
The platform supports incomplete data, massive-volume interviewing, and contact tracing. Granular disease and role-based permissions enable multidisciplinary use within public health units.
Conclusion and Future Actions
Sentinel represents a newly developed prototype and practical model for modern communicable disease informatics. By returning system control to public health professionals, it enhances operational agility during both routine surveillance and complex outbreak responses, including emerging or hypothetical Disease X scenarios.
This work demonstrates the feasibility and value of an epidemiologist-first digital infrastructure for strengthening Australia’s communicable disease intelligence capability.