The Problem

The COVID-19 pandemic illustrated in stark and searing terms the need to improve the ability of communities globally to detect emerging infectious diseases and coordinate their responses to these threats. Global early detection, rapid transparent reporting, and open information sharing regarding potential biological incidents are critical.

The Solution

The Biothreats Emergence, Analysis, and Communications Network (BEACON) is dedicated to the rapid collection, vetting, reporting, and analysis of information on emerging threats affecting humans, domestic animals, wildlife, plants and the environment globally. BEACON combines emerging infectious diseases surveillance, a global network of moderators who are subject matter experts, and the power of artificial intelligence and large language models. The program is based at Boston University's Center on Emerging Infectious Diseases (CEID) and operated in partnership with the Hariri Institute for Computing and Data Sciences at Boston University and HealthMap at Boston Children's Hospital. At its launch, BEACON is the only open-source global surveillance platform of its kind, linking public health authorities, practitioners, researchers, and the general public, rapidly and transparently sharing data and contextual knowledge about new threats. By providing early warnings of sentinel cases, clusters and outbreaks, BEACON will enable early public health response.