InterAction and USAID have launched the Pandemic Preparedness Capacity Project to help prevent and understand pandemic disease outbreaks, in particular bird flu. The project platform has been crafted by Development Seed over open source technology with a great range of functionality for system administrators to access and manage data. The project offers a tremendous departing point to build up a platform to share knowledge and resources in order to prepare for pandemics. The bigger challenge remains in generating the needed conversation to see the effort grow to its full potential.

The mapping aims to identify "by country the diverse range of current NGO capacities that indicate the level of community preparedness or that could potentially be leveraged in a pandemic situation. It identifies those capacities already on the ground as an indicator of the level of preparedness of communities as well as response capacities of NGOs – including health programs, disaster preparedness programs, food security programs, community outreach and media programs, etc."

However the capacity on the ground and the response of current NGOs represented by the initiative is for now at best partial. The project is geared precisely to generate the organic contribution of NGOs to expand the data and engage policy makers to understand the issues and challenges at hand. Fostering the grown of such a network will require much steady participation and open conversations where different communities and stakeholders can participate.

Also additional data might be required to enrich and provide a deeper dialogue. For instance, it is not only active NGOs that need to be added, but other data sets in particular around an expanded mapping capacity. The layer of NGOs and programs would benefit greatly from a selective overlap with:
-Global bird migration paths
- Avian flu declared cases (in birds and in humans)
- Density of poultry
- Poultry trade, which could be themost likely path for an avian flu outbreak and not migration patterns.

For instance a current overlap with the existing NGO data should generate concern and help built a case for stronger preparedness in Turkey given the declared cases in humans they have had in the past. Maybe Turkey covers it by government agency action, and other initiatives, giving it an edge in preparation. But representing that level of complexity, making it accessible, and open is where the challenge and great opportunity to make this project essential reside.

Precisely Eric Gundersen admits that "the information on the site will only be as good as what NGOs add to the site. We need a simple workflow for public health organizations to easily upload data to the site." And to the credit of his team and that of the multi-agency effort behind the project it seems that the goal of offering a sophisticated environment to participate and grow is there. Now, it needs to be fostered to happen. I look forward to see its development over the next months and encourage the participation of those already engaged and interested in this essential topic.