SAFE MApp: The New Farm Mapping Application to Bolster Livestock, Poultry Disease Prevention and Emergency Response Planning

Every day, livestock and poultry producers put time and effort into keeping their animals disease-free. It can be a monumental goal considering how many people, vehicles, and even animals enter and exit a farm daily. Some of the routes for disease infection are not so obvious. A new mapping tool called SAFE MApp, the Secure Ag Farm Emergency Mapping App, gives producers the ability to visualize the potential entry points for diseases to the farm, and then strategize methods to keep them out.

This free and easy-to-use application can be accessed with an internet connection and a web browser; there is no need to purchase software. SAFE MApp uses Google Maps and Open Street Maps as a familiar base, and users simply enter an address to automatically pull up an aerial view of a location.

Users mark their maps with features identifying locations where “biosecurity” barriers, activities, pathways, structures, etc., are located or could be added. In this context, biosecurity is a set of methods and practices that prevent or greatly reduce the introduction of diseases or pests to farm animals. These practices can also contain the spread of diseases between farm animals.

A Flexible Mapping App

SAFE MApp accommodates many types of farm operations and needs such as:

1. A farm of any size.
2. Raising one or more types of farm animals.
3. Planning for daily disease prevention, foreign animal disease outbreak response, or natural disaster emergency response.

“Using SAFE MApp helps farmers see where and how to put the brakes on to stop the spread of diseases,” said Dr. Julie Smith, veterinarian and research professor in the UVM Department of Animal and Veterinary Sciences. She is also the project director and co-inventor of SAFE MApp.

Smith continued, “The map app can be used for emergency response planning beyond biosecurity, too. For instance, maps can be created to identify safety features and communicate hazards to employees or emergency responders.”

Preparing for Foreign Animal Disease Outbreaks

Although producers may not frequently encounter foreign animal disease (FAD) outbreaks, SAFE MApp was designed with these in mind to support the creation of Secure Food Supply plans. Foreign animal diseases are not normally found in the United States and U.S. territories but have the potential to cause significant animal health and economic impacts. Producers, farm consultants, and state animal health officials are using SAFE MApp as they build “enhanced” plans that detail how a farm will prepare for and respond to an FAD outbreak.

By meeting Secure Food Supply plan guidance, dairy, beef, poultry, pork, and sheep industries can be better protected in case of an FAD outbreak. Developing a map alongside an enhanced biosecurity plan assists with a rapid response to emergencies and gives producers a potential edge to continue doing business during an outbreak. SAFE MApp fills a gap for prevention planning and can be a useful tool during rapidly changing situations as well.

By using SAFE MApp:

1. Users save their maps in a secure, online account that can be accessed 24/7.
2. Minimal training is needed to create a map. Brief tutorials are available to guide the process.
3. A feature set is built into the app that conforms to Secure Food Supply mapping guidance.
4. Updates to a digital map are quick and can be done at any time.
5. A map file can be shared with other SAFE MApp users or printed as a PDF.

Pilot Tested with Agricultural Stakeholders

SAFE MApp has been pilot tested with farm consultants, representatives from national agricultural organizations, state and federal secure food supply planning experts, state and private veterinarians, and farm producers. The testing provided useful feedback about usability, the ability to meet Secure Food Supply plan guidance, and the effectiveness of training materials.

Dr. Jimmy Tickel, veterinarian at the Texas A&M Institute for Infectious Animal Diseases, reminds people that it is hard to fight what you cannot see. He stated, “While premises maps like those produced through SAFE MApp do not allow producers to "’see" the disease organisms, they still are powerful because they reveal how disease organisms might enter a farm and be introduced to their animals. Creating premises maps provides producers with a better understanding of their premises as a battlefield, so that strong biosecurity programs can be created to battle the invisible threats of endemic and foreign animal diseases. Simply put, working without tools like SAFE MApp is like refusing to turn on the light and instead, choosing to fight in the dark!”

Pilot testing and group demonstrations of SAFE MApp were received with interest and excitement by industry and academic stakeholders. Its ease of use and compatibility with Secure Food Supply plans will make it widely applicable across livestock and poultry industry sectors.

Funding

This project is funded by USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) through the 2020 National Animal Disease Preparedness and Response Program, under cooperative agreement AP21VSSP0000C008. The contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the USDA or APHIS.