The National Biosurveillance Integration Center (NBIC), operating within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), plays a pivotal role in identifying, tracking, and characterizing biological events by leveraging a range of data sources, including open-source, federal, and private sector data. The center integrates these diverse data sets to develop informative written products and supports information sharing and coordination activities.
National Biosurveillance Integration Center (NBIC) Product Development and Distribution Process, as of October 2023:
In recent years, NBIC has proactively addressed challenges related to data access, personnel acquisition, and technology development. Guided by two strategic planning documents, NBIC’s initiatives lack clearly defined performance measures and time frames for milestones, hindering effective program assessment and information sharing with DHS management and federal stakeholders. Establishing clearly defined metrics would enable NBIC to better evaluate program outcomes.
NBIC’s evaluation of product quality and reach has garnered generally favorable views from federal stakeholders interviewed by GAO. These stakeholders, familiar with NBIC’s principal written products and coordination activities, acknowledge the utility of NBIC products in informing situational awareness of global biological events. Officials from 11 of 12 federal agencies and two national public health associations confirmed the use of NBIC products alongside other sources.
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, NBIC incorporated pandemic-related information into existing products and conducted original analyses to aid DHS management. These analyses covered areas such as monitoring cross-border health trends and global flight patterns. NBIC officials reported producing thousands of COVID-related products since January 2020, with federal stakeholders highlighting their particular usefulness during the pandemic’s early stages when information about the disease was limited.
Biosurveillance, a critical process for providing early warning and situational awareness about biological events, gained heightened significance due to the disruptive impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The NBIC, directed by statute, consolidates information from various monitoring systems across the federal government to enhance early identification of biological events.
In response to a request to evaluate NBIC program activities, this report by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) delves into three key areas: (1) NBIC’s collection and integration of biosurveillance data, addressing challenges, and assessing performance; (2) the extent to which NBIC evaluates its products and obtains stakeholder feedback; and (3) NBIC’s pivotal role during the COVID-19 pandemic. The evaluation encompasses a review of NBIC products, agency documentation, interviews with NBIC officials, stakeholders from 12 federal agencies, and two national associations, as well as an analysis of NBIC’s strategic planning documents.
Read the rest of the report at GAO, here.
