The university of maryland will develop an innovative, web-based application (APP) to assess wild bird movement across poultry-dense areas

Award Details:

The University of Maryland, College Park received a $185,696 cooperative agreement from the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) under the Plant and Animal Disease, Pest Control, and Animal Care program (CFDA 10.025). The award was obligated on October 15, 2025, with a completion date of October 14, 2027.

Products and Services:

The University of Maryland will develop an innovative, web-based application that assesses wild bird movement patterns across poultry-dense geographic areas to evaluate avian influenza (HPAI) transmission risk. The application will enable backyard producers, commercial poultry operations, and animal health decision-makers to visualize spatiotemporal risk of avian influenza virus exposure at specific U.S. locations on a weekly basis using smartphone technology. Building on prior APHIS-funded research that developed HPAI livestock/wildlife interface risk models, this tool will provide poultry producers with immediate, location-specific information regarding wild bird movements and associated disease exposure risks relative to their farming operations. By strengthening animal disease preparedness capabilities, the deliverable directly supports the protection of the poultry supply chain, farmer economic viability, and rural community economic resilience against highly pathogenic avian influenza threats.

The APP will allow anyone, including backyard and commercial producers as well as animal health decision-makers, to visualize the relative spatiotemporal risk of avian influenza virus exposure at a generalized U.S. Location for a given week by using a smartphone. This project builds on previous nadprp projects that developed hpai livestock/wildlife interface risk models. The project directly benefits poultry producers by providing immediate information on wild bird movements and associated risks in relation to their specific farm. Innovative animal disease preparedness tools like this strengthen our food supply, ensure farmers' livelihoods, and protect economic opportunities for rural communities.