After years of collaborative work, the launch of EpiOutlook took place on 3 June at the Barcelona Supercomputing Center (BSC-CNS) in Barcelona. EpiOutlook is one of the main early warning tools developed within the IDAlert project.
EpiOutlook is an open-access digital platform that combines climate forecasts and epidemiological indicators to support public health decision-making. It has been developed by the Global Health Resilience team at BSC-CNS in collaboration with partners from the IDAlert project.
A key aspect of EpiOutlook’s development has been the contribution of key stakeholders to ensure that the platform responds to the real needs and contexts of its users, including medical and public health professionals, humanitarian agencies, policymakers, public authorities, and researchers. The platform has been designed for these groups, who face specific challenges in managing the risks posed by infectious diseases, and it aims to provide tailored information to support more informed and anticipatory decision-making.
The event was also a moment of celebration and appreciation for all those who participated in workshops and testing sessions in Barcelona. It brought together local participants from interviews and co-creation workshops, as well as other key stakeholders from Catalonia, with the aim of presenting the results of this collaborative process.
The programme featured an opening keynote by Hunter Jones, Lead of Climate Services for Health at the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), within the WHO–WMO Climate and Health Joint Programme, who set the scene on climate services for health. Afterwards, the development team briefly reflected on the co-creation journey and explored how EpiOutlook can support climate–health decision-making in the future. The programme also included a visit to the BSC’s MareNostrum supercomputer and the quantum computer facilities, followed by a networking session featuring the “Time is Ticking” poster campaign developed by the RCCC, also under the IDAlert project..
To present the platform to an international audience, an online public event will be held on 15 June from 12:00 to 13:30 CEST. During the session, the EpiOutlook team will present the platform, briefly outline the co-creation process, and discuss how it can support improved decision-making in the fields of health and climate.
The session will also include a panel discussion moderated by Jan Semenza (Lancet Countdown and IDAlert), bringing together key stakeholders in global health policy to discuss the near-term outlook for climate-sensitive infectious diseases in Europe and the future potential of the platform.
