A Fantastic Web Development Project to Revolutionise the Response to Vector-Borne Disease Outbreaks

The London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine is renowned for its research into public and global health. We were asked to help the LSHTM create the Global Vector Hub.

The Global Vector Hub is the first international and interactive resource, open both to individuals as well as institutions, which aims to enable and accelerate research, as well as support vector control globally. This fantastic project will help revolutionise our preparedness and ability to respond quickly and effectively to vector-borne disease outbreaks, around the world.

Over a period of a few months, our design and development teams created this design on a Symfony framework and used React for front-end development, allowing the front-end and back-end of the website to remain separate.

We then created a central API to provide communication and data transmission between the front-end website and the database. The main advantage is that the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine could create a number of separate front-end systems, including websites, apps and dashboards which would all use the API to pull information from the single database.

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Globe Interface

The interactive map is one of the most important features of the website. It is an integral part of the user journey, acting both as a start-point and a navigational tool. 

The map was custom-built using Web GL, an animated and interactive feature designed to highlight news items at their correct global locations; acting as a start-point for data mining, allowing the user to select a continent. Filters implemented on the Global Vector Hub display relevant data from across collaborating organisations, enabling users to easily access content from different networks without leaving the site.

Data Analysis

The main function of this site is as a central repository for data related to vector-based diseases. This data, uploaded via registered users and institutions around the world, as well as integration via APIs from collaborating partners such as The Malaria Atlas Project, can then be interlinked, filtered and downloaded.

The system can also display this data as a global heatmap, and links off to additional related resources that can be searched and downloaded.

Fresh Web Design 

The design we created is modern, fresh, and professional. It has limited text on the landing page for a clear and precise look. It includes strategic use of colour and dynamic elements to assist in navigation and is at the same time very user-friendly. 

Additional Features

We have made sure that the website has all the additional features needed for a modern platform, such as:

• User registration and validation 
• Mobile responsiveness 
• Compatibility with older browsers such as IE11
• Searchable resource repository
• Automatic interlinking of content based on updated data 
• Heat map generation 
• Data download
• API integration 
• Content management administration area 
• Contact form
• Pop up comment policy agreement

Website Launch and the Road Ahead

The Global Vector Hub's vision aims to transform the way vector control and vector research communities operate and communicate, by providing a new opportunity for sharing and distributing data and information on vectors. We have built a database, integrated globe, as well as a platform, which can host research tools and provide access to the latest research.

We are working further to build discussion forums and networking for The Global Vector Hub to bolster its effectiveness as a platform.