Our work

Data Hub Use Cases

The Data Hub framework is designed to adapt to various geographical contexts. The following examples highlight its core concept and features. Our mission is to make a wide range of use cases openly accessible.

🇬🇭 Infectious Diseases Research in Ghana, West Africa

We are collaborating on various projects with international research partners to co-develop a Ghana Data Hub. Its main focus is on implementing research projects and support capacity exchange in the areas of Global Health, with an emphasis on the detection, control, prevention, and study of (zoonotic) infectious diseases. The Data Hub serves as a data collaboration platform, interoperable with common data collection tools (REDCap) and analysis software (R and Python).

In addition to project-specific Data Hub frameworks, we have developed a publicly accessible Ghana Demo Data Hub that demonstrates its core functionalities. The Demo Hub exclusively integrates open data informed by data needs arising from Global Health research, action and training. We are continuously working on updates to the core framework, new and improved features, and additional data layers.

Collaborating partners:
Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine (GER)
Charité - University Medicine Berlin (GER)
Kumasi Centre for Collaborative Research in Tropical Medicine (GHA)

Core Framework Source CodeGhana Data Hub Demo

🇨🇷 One Health Research in Costa Rica, Central America

In cooperation with partners from Germany and Costa Rica, we are co-developing a Costa Rica Data Hub, including new features, to support collaborative research on climate change and bacterial diseases, including antimicrobial resistance, as part of the German-Costa Rican Center for Climate Adaptation and Infectious Diseases (GC-ADAPT), funded by German Federal Ministry of Education, Research and Space (BMFTR).

Collaborating partners:
Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine (GER)
Instituto Costarricense de Investigación y Enseñanza en Nutrición y Salud (CRI)
Instituto Metereológico Nacional (CRI)

Visit GC-ADAPT

🇩🇪 Public Health Risk Assessment in Germany, Europe

Driven by the demands of public health risk epidemiology, we are co-developing a Germany Data Hub, including new features, designed to support automated assessment of epidemic risks and impacts (FRED - Frühwarnsystem zur Bewertung epidemischer Bedrohungslagen in Deutschland). The Data Hub will be part of a pipeline that links disease data with contextual information to facilitates data analysis and risk assessment using STATA, funded by German Federal Ministry of Education, Research and Space (BMFTR/DATI).

Collaborating partners:
University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (GER)

🇹🇿 Dengue Integrated Risk Assessment in Tanzania, East Africa

The development of the Data Hub framework originated from a research collaboration between Germany and Tanzania aimed at strengthening Epidemiological Surveillance for Infectious Diseases in Sub-Saharan Africa (ESIDA), funded by German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF/BMFTR). A Tanzania Data Hub was developed as a platform for data collaboration, linking outbreak data, epidemiological context data (covariates), and analytical software for epidemiological risk assessment.

Collaborating partners:
Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine (GER)
Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology (TZA)
Hamburg University of Applied Sciences (GER)
University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (GER)
University of Hamburg (GER)

Visit ESIDA

🇨🇩 Humanitarian Simulation Exercise for DRC, Central Africa

As part of the NASA Lifelines simulation exercise exploring the application of diverse data inputs (especially earths observation data) for humanitarian action, we established a Democratic Republic of the Congo Data Hub. Acting as a technical unit, our mission was to address humanitarian information needs and collaboratively tackle real-world crisis scenarios alongside a multidisciplinary expert team.

Visit NASA Lifelines

Facilitating Data-Driven Collaborative Research

Alongside software development, we aim to enhance the capacity of research teams (and beyond) through workshops and training initiatives that promote data collaboration.

FAIR Data Principles and Research Software Engineering

To strengthen data-driven and effective collaborative research, a solid foundation of good data practices and software development is essential. We aim to build these capacities through workshops on the concepts and practical approaches of FAIR Research Data principles, FAIR research software engineering, Open Science practices (e.g., open licenses for data and software), and an open technical ecosystem for research, mainly in the context of Global Health.

Interdisciplinary Simulation for Pandemic Preparedness and Research Capacity (iSPARC)

Advanced hybrid outbreak simulation training to transform how participants approach complex problems, moving them from discipline-specific thinking toward essential collaborative integration. The project is funded by the German Alliance for Global Health Research (GLOHRA)/German Federal Ministry of Education, Research and Space (BMFTR).

Collaborating partners:
Institute of Virology, Charité - University Medicine Berlin
Pandemic & Disaster Preparedness Center Academy, Erasmus University Rotterdam

Visit iSPARC

Ecosystems for Collaborative Surveillance

At Data Snack, we engage with diverse stakeholders to explore the technical ecosystem that supports the entire data lifecycle within Global Health, guided by the WHO's framework of Collaborative Surveillance. This activity focuses on tools for (i) field data collection, (ii) data processing, harmonization, and storage, (iii) data exploration, analysis, and collaboration, as well as (iv) the management, dissemination, and visualization of information derived from these data.

Embracing this framework, we support (postgraduate) training initiatives through our expertise, including the Master's program Public Health at HAW Hamburg and the Short Course Epidemiology & Control of Diseases in Outbreak Settings (EPICID) at BNITM. Our focus is on open-source tools and datasets that are easily accessible and recognized as good practices in our target field.

Visit WHO Collaborative Surveillance framework

Gamification in Global Health Education

We collaborate with the Interdisciplinary Academy of Competence & Education for Global Health (BNITM) and external software developers specializing in digital games, and mixed reality to design applications for training and capacity exchange in Global Health.

Our contributions include

• crafting narrative designs
• supporting the development of gamification concepts, working closely with developers
• overseeing testing, implementation and dissemination

EDDi - Epidemic Disease Detectives Hamburg

Open-source single-player serious game to strengthen epidemiological outbreak investigation and public health response. The project was supported and funded by the Hamburg Open Online University.

Collaborating partners:
Hamburg University of Applied Sciences
Octofox Games UG

Visit EDDi

eVeeR - Educational Virtual Environment for Epidemic Response

Single-player virtual reality experience to strengthen mobile laboratory diagnostic capacity in remote outbreak settings. The project was funded by the German Federal Foreign Office.

Collaborating partners:
German Biosecurity Programme
Studio Monstrum (Alon & Reinke GbR)

Visit eVeeRSee trailer

Publications and talks

Our work extends beyond open source software and data pipelines to active knowledge sharing: publishing in peer-reviewed journals, presenting at scientific conferences, and engaging public audiences to maximize research impact.

Research Publications and Book Chapters

Two-stage cluster sampling to assess SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence without pre-enumeration: An example from Madagascar
Contributors: Lorenz E, Amuasi J, Randrianarisoa T, et al.
PLOS One
2025-11-04 | Journal article
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0334627

Surveillance (In: Infektionsepidemiologie)
Contributors: May J, Boenecke J
Tropenmedizin: Reisemedizin–Globale Gesundheit
Editors: Löscher T, Burchard GD, May J, Ramharter M
Urban & Fischer Verlag/Elsevier GmbH
2025-09-09 | Book chapter
ISBN: 9783437216428

The Data Hub: Enhancing Collaborative Research and Intelligence through Reproducible Data Harmonization
Contributors: Ströbele J, Boenecke J, May J
RSE DAY 2025, Science City Bahrenfeld, Hamburg, Germany
2025-07-16 | Conference poster
DOI: 10.5281/ZENODO.15992207

Evaluation of the acceptability of ESIDA app, a smartphone-based clinical decision support application to improve infectious disease outbreak detection in Tanzania: clinician perspectives
Contributors: Mustafa UK, Sauli E, Kreppel KS, Boenecke J, Brinkel J
BMC Public Health
2025-07-02 | Journal article
DOI: 10.1186/s12889-025-23286-y

Integrated rapid risk assessment for dengue fever in settings with limited diagnostic capacity and uncertain exposure: Development of a methodological framework for Tanzania
Contributors: Belau MH, Boenecke J, Ströbele S, Himmel M, et al.
PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases
2025-03-28 | Journal article
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0012946

The Data Hub: Enhancing Infectious Disease Research and Action with Reproducible Data Harmonization
Contributors: Boenecke J, Ströbele S, Lorenz E, et al.
DGI/DZIF 2025 - Joint Annual Meeting, Munich
2025-02-13 | Conference poster
DOI: 10.5281/ZENODO.15552974

Harnessing the Potential of Digital Data for Infectious Disease Surveillance in sub-Saharan Africa
Contributors: Boenecke J, Ahmad AA, Ahmady-Moghaddam N, et al.
Eur J Public Health /15th European Public Health Conference 2022 (EPH 2022)
2022-11-10 | Conference poster
DOI: 10.1093/eurpub/ckac131.569 / 10.5281/ZENODO.7322396

Improving Model Predictions—Integration of Real-Time Sensor Data into a Running Simulation of an Agent-Based Model
Contributors: Lenfers UA, Ahmady-Moghaddam N, Glake D, et al.
Sustainability (Modelling and Simulation of Human-Environment Interactions)
2021-06-20 | Journal article
DO: 10.3390/su13137000

Multi-Modal Travel Planning into an Agent-Based Model: A Case Study at the Train Station Kellinghusenstraße in Hamburg
Contributors: Lenfers UA, Ahmady-Moghaddam N, Glake D, et al.
Land (Sustainable Urbanism in the Era of Big Data: A Data-Driven Approach to Strategic Planning)
2021-11-03 | Journal article
DOI: 10.3390/land10111179

Exploring the influence of deforestation on dengue fever incidence in the Brazilian Amazonas state
Contributors: Kalbus A, Sampaio V, Boenecke J, Reintjes R
PLOS One
2021-01-07 | Journal article
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0242685

Talks

GeoTIFF DEM als 3D-Modell
Contributors: Ströbele J
News-Infographics-Analytics-Maps (NIAM) Initiative 2026, Berlin
2026-01-15 | Conference talk (German)
URL: https://www.news-infographics-analytics-maps.media/2026.html

Building a Data Harmonization Engine on top of Django -
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
Contributors: Ströbele J
Django Day 2024, Copenhagen
2024-10-04 | Conference talk (English)
URL: https://2024.djangoday.dk/talks/jonathan/

Die Entwicklung eines spatio-temporalen Data Hub als Grundlage eines Frühwarn- und Reaktionssystems für Epidemien in Subsahara-Afrika
Contributors: Ströbele J
News-Infographics-Analytics-Maps (NIAM) Initiative 2023, Berlin
2023-01-19 | Conference talk (German)
URL: https://news-infographics-analytics-maps.media/2023.html

Theses and Other Publications

Extension of a Data Hub for Epidemiological Data with a Data Coverage and Analysis Component
Contributors: Valentina MA
Department of Computer Science, Hamburg University of Applied Sciences
2026-01-06 | Bachelor Thesis
URI: https://reposit.haw-hamburg.de/handle/20.500.12738/18609

Der Data Hub: ein Geoinformationssystem für reproduzierbare Datenverarbeitung, informiert durch epidemiologische Bedarfe
Contributors: Ströbele J
Department of Computer Science, Hamburg University of Applied Sciences
2025-12-05 | Master Thesis
URI: https://reposit.haw-hamburg.de/handle/20.500.12738/18455

Emerging Mosquito-borne Diseases and the Potential of Integrated Strategies
- A situation analysis of the latest Zika outbreak in Rio de Janeiro 2015/2016
Contributors: Boenecke J
Department of Health Sciences, Hamburg University of Applied Sciences
2019-09-11 | Master Thesis
URI: https://reposit.haw-hamburg.de/handle/20.500.12738/8915