Disease Tracking Map for Bulacan Provincial Veterinary Office

A Capstone Project Proposal

Presented to The Faculty of the Information Technology Department

Bulacan State University-Hagonoy Bulacan

In Partial Fulfillment of the

Requirement for the Degree

Bachelor of Science in Information Technology

By:

Baltazar Leila B.

Bautista Marjorie P.

De Jesus Aldrin E.

Regalado Lowel Gel S.

Sicat Elton Jhon C.

Date

May 2025
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Chapter II

Review of Related Literature and Systems

This Chapter presents a review of related literature and studies that will

allow the researchers to gather information and references for the current study,

as well as a technical background that will discuss the project’s technical

aspects, details of the technologies to be used, and the project’s relevance.

Technical Background

​ The technical background explains the different technologists used by the

researchers to develop the system. It also shows how these were used in the

study. This part helps future researchers understand the important terms in the

paper.

HTML

Hypertext Markup Language, as HTML expands, is an evolution of a

standardized markup language more apposite to the construction of web

pages-that is, headings, paragraphs, links, images, and everything inside.

CSS

CSS stands for Cascading Style Sheets that define the appearance of HTML

elements. It gives power in making-creating and designing-a web page with

layout, color, fonts, and omnipresent responsiveness.

 Disease Tracking Map for Bulacan Provincial Veterinary Office 3

JavaScript

A client-side, dynamic scripting language for web pages, JavaScript has the

capabilities of form validation, object animation, and real-time updates.

Bootstrap

Bootstrap is a front-end framework that provides ready-to-use templates and

reusable components for simplistically building web designs.

AJAX

AJAX stands for Asynchronous JavaScript and XML. It allows web pages to

asynchronously fetch fresh data from the server in the background and refresh

the view, without reloading the whole page.

PHP

PHP: Hypertext Preprocessor - a scripting language that allows server-side

processing to perform all sorts of back-end work, including form submissions,

database operations, and dynamic content generation.

MySQL

An open-source relational database management system used to store, retrieve,

and manage data from web applications, most commonly alongside PHP.

XAMPP
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It's open-source software that is free to use and very deployable for the

developer as it is cross-platform based on Apache, MySQL, PHP, and Pearl,

where it can set up the local server environment to test and further develop web

systems.

GIS

A GIS is a system for capturing, storing, manipulating, analyzing, managing, and

presenting spatial or geographic data. Thus it is a system for mapping and

analyzing location-based information.

OSM

OpenStreetMap is a collaborative open-source map platform that provides free

access to editable world maps. Usually provides the base layer for GIS

applications.

GeoJSON

Geographic JSON or GeoJSON format encodes a number of geographic data

structures in JSON. This mostly comprises drawing points, lines, and polygons

on the map that you see on the web.

[Link]

[Link] aims to equip geospatial applications with advanced GIS capabilities in

JavaScript. It measures distance, executes spatial joins, and performs other

geographical calculations.
 Disease Tracking Map for Bulacan Provincial Veterinary Office 5

Related Literature and Studies

Foreign Literature

GSMA (2022) states that infectious disease outbreaks now threaten the

world even more than in previous times. All these contributing factors continue to

challenge public health, and that is why there is need for flexible and efficient

monitoring way. As defined by the World Health Organization (WHO), health

surveillance is the systematic collection and analysis of essential health data,

which is integral to the formulation and monitoring of public health policies. A

surveillance system will need to be reliable in order to manage an outbreak due

to timely detection and containment of transmission and reduced injury to both

public health and the economy. International efforts toward convergence

strategies against disease threats are ongoing, yet there still exist considerable

differences in the performances of surveillance frameworks across different

regions. In terms of innovation, digital and mobile technologies have provided

arenas for possibly advancing the process of disease monitoring in developing

countries like the Philippines (GSMA, 2022).

Tadesse and Amare (2021), As stated in Application of Geographical

Information System in Animal Disease Surveillance and Control: changes in the

climate are affecting how animal diseases spread. Because of this, there is a

growing need for modern tools to help monitor and control these diseases. One
 Disease Tracking Map for Bulacan Provincial Veterinary Office 6

helpful tool they mentioned is the Geographic Information System (GIS). This

system makes it easier to access and work with information based on location.

They also explained that GIS can show the locations of farms and other

animal-related facilities all in one map. This makes it easier to keep track of

areas where diseases might spread. The geographical information system also

helps in predicting outbreaks, spotting areas where cases are high, creating

safety zones, and finding ways to stop the spread of diseases. It’s also useful in

collecting and analyzing data related to population, nearby health services, and

the environment (Tadesse & Amare, 2021).

Asaye and Fesseha (2020), As presented in Geographic Information

Systems and Their Applications in Veterinary Medicine, the use of GIS in

veterinary medicine has shown significant potential in enhancing disease

surveillance and control. The study explained that GIS allows the storage of

important data such as disease prevalence, etiological factors, and demographic

information in a spatial [Link] this makes GIS a valuable tool in

understanding the spread of diseases affecting livestock in various geographical

domains. It can also be applied in predicting scenarios of potential outbreaks,

visualizing high-risk areas, and planning for targeted interventions such as

vaccination. In addition, GIS allows for various spatial analyzes, such as

mapping, network analysis, and three-dimensional modeling, providing immense

support in the field operations of a veterinary [Link] introduces significant

challenges. To address these concerns, recent approaches have a probabilistic

 Disease Tracking Map for Bulacan Provincial Veterinary Office 7

tracking-by-detection method is proposed. The tracking method uses, as input,

visible key points of individual animals provided by a fully-convolutional detector.

Individual animals are also equipped with ear tags that are used by a

classification network to assign unique identification to instances.

The fixed cardinality of the targets is leveraged to create a continuous set

of tracks and the forward-backward algorithm is used to assign ear-tag

identification probabilities to each detected instance. Tracking achieves real-time

performance on consumer-grade hardware, in part because it does not rely on

complex, costly, graph-based optimizations. A publicly available,

human-annotated dataset is introduced to evaluate tracking performance. This

dataset contains 15 half-hour-long videos of pigs with various ages/sizes, facility

environments, and activity levels. Results demonstrate that the proposed method

achieves an average precision and recall greater than 95% across the entire

dataset. Analysis of the error events reveals environmental conditions and social

interactions that are most likely to cause errors in real-world deployments (Psota,

Schmidt, Mote, & Pérez, 2020).

A December 2019 virus (first called 'Novel Coronavirus 2019-nCoV' and

later as SARS-CoV-2) caused severe respiratory syndrome (COVID-19). Wuhan,

Hubei, the epicenter of the virus, faced the overwhelming nature and fast spread

of this virus to other areas of the country and even abroad, despite China's great

effort to contain the disease within Hubei. Geography information systems and

methods, including but not limited to, online real- or near-real-time mapping of

disease case and social media response to disease spread, will also be
 Disease Tracking Map for Bulacan Provincial Veterinary Office 8

indispensable in the future, as would predictive risk mapping with population

travel data and tracing and mapping of the super-spreader trajectories and

contacts across space and time. The gadgets and software support a timely and

effective epidemic monitoring and response. This paper offers pointers to, and

describes, a range of practical online/mobile GIS and mapping dashboards and

applications for tracking the 2019/2020 coronavirus epidemic and associated

events as they unfold around the world. Some of these dashboards and

applications are receiving data updates in near-real-time (at the time of writing),

and one of them is meant for individual users (in China) to check if the app user

has had any close contact with a person confirmed or suspected to have been

infected with SARS-CoV-2 in the recent past. The same source states that GIS

has played many other roles in terms of an interface between the community and

epidemic events. In 'A review of GIS applications in public health surveillance',

the authors state that geographic information systems have been developed for

applications in public health and have been used in the tracking of infectious and

environmental non-communicable diseases, not forgetting emergency disaster

responses. Challenges such as data quality, privacy concerns, and limited

resources were identified, but the study also pointed to future opportunities in

integrating emerging technologies and enhancing spatial resolution to improve

disease surveillance and decision-making (Kamel Boulos & Geraghty, 2020).

Local Literature

​ According to the Bureau of Animal Industry (2020), the Philippine Animal

Health Information System is built to strengthen the country’s animal health

 Disease Tracking Map for Bulacan Provincial Veterinary Office 9

management by providing accurate, timely, and standardized information through

automated data collection. It minimizes the need for large personnel, allowing

data from local and regional offices to be gathered efficiently. This integrated

reporting system ensures that real-time information is readily available, helping

managers and policymakers make better decisions in allocating resources and

responding to animal health concerns Philippine Animal Health Information

System (2020).

Foreign Related Study

​ According to the MOOD Project (2020), the system they are developing

includes new tools that are designed together with the actual users to make sure

the tools fit their real needs. In their study, researchers and users such as health

and veterinary workers from different countries worked closely to plan how the

tools should work in tracking and understanding animal diseases. The focus of

the study was on serious diseases that affect both humans and animals,

especially those that cause big health and money problems, are affected by the

environment, and can spread in many ways. The researchers also studied how

these users do their jobs every day and what changes they want to improve and

how fast and accurately they can detect and respond to diseases. These case

studies helped the researchers find what kind of tools and systems are needed to

solve the challenges in monitoring animal health and preventing disease

outbreaks (MOOD Project, 2020).

 Disease Tracking Map for Bulacan Provincial Veterinary Office 10

​ According to Jahel et al. (2020), in Sahelian countries, Herding systems of

livestock in Sahelian countries are mostly nomadic, relying largely on

transhumant movements where herds migrate over large tracts of land often

crossing national borders. Mobility is such a critical part of pastoralist livelihood,

yet it brings them into frontier conflicts with farmers and newer lot of

transboundary diseases such as Rift Valley Fever. Hence, the very

understanding of the movements by which herds travel becomes very important

in the formulation of a sound strategy for disease control, land-use planning, and

mitigation of farmer-herder conflict. At this, there is a lack of fine scale movement

data pertaining to livestock with very temporally and spatially variable trajectories

of the herds with limited traceability during cross-border trafficking. To address

this gap, Jahel et al. (2020) proposed a general framework to map potential

livestock movement paths and identify high-traffic areas for animal passage.

Their method integrates data from livestock mobility networks with landscape

connectivity models based on various mobility conductance layers. The approach

was demonstrated using mobility data from Senegal and Mauritania, focusing on

the dry and wet seasons of 2014. This study highlights the importance of

combining network science and geographic modeling to improve the

understanding of livestock mobility and support public health, environmental, and

policy planning across regions affected by pastoral movements (Jahel et al.,

2020).
 Disease Tracking Map for Bulacan Provincial Veterinary Office 11

According to Desjardins et al. (2022), the Dynamic Health Atlas web app

was developed to help decision-makers understand how diseases spread over

time and space. This open-source and interactive tool, mainly built with

JavaScript, shows both the location and timeline of health-related data while also

presenting the uncertainty of the information. It was tested using two case

studies: one involving an outbreak of canine gastrointestinal disease in the UK

and another analyzing COVID-19 reproduction numbers and forecasts. These

examples show that the tool is effective for visualizing how diseases change over

time and across areas.

Local Related Study

​ A recent evaluation, "Development of GIS-Based Tracking Application and

Vulnerability Assessment of African Swine Fever (ASF) Cases in Iguig, Cagayan,

Philippines" (2023), looked to use Geographic Information System (GIS)

technology for monitoring and vulnerability assessment of swine populations to

ASF in Iguig, Cagayan. Researchers developed a GIS-based application that

was used to map swine farms and identify locations at high risk for ASF infection.

The study tracked different parameters such as farm location, management of

housing, feeding practices, breeding systems, and health management systems

practiced by swine raisers. Results indicated that Iguig remains in an infected

zone, thus having a high level of vulnerability to ASF. The application would

serve as an assisting tool in tracking potential cases of ASF and determining the

best transport routes for swine aimed at reducing the spread of the disease. The
 Disease Tracking Map for Bulacan Provincial Veterinary Office 12

study shows how GIS-based applications can be utilized to improve disease

surveillance and guide targeted intervention strategies.

​ According to Salvador et al. (2023) state that some trading provinces for

pigs in 2020 were Bulacan, Laguna, Cavite, Cebu, Bukidnon, Tarlac, and the

NCR districts. High turnover of pigs in these sites is an opportunity for fast

transmission of porcine diseases like African Swine Fever (ASF). The authors

employed Social Network Analysis (SNA) on the data of shipping permits

obtained from the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI). It showed the possibility of

carrying diseases from one location to another with the movement of live pigs

and pork products if adequate monitoring is not in place. The researchers said

that focusing on these high-risk provinces through stronger surveillance can help

stop the spread of disease early. This study supports the idea of having a

real-time disease tracking map, like what this capstone project is proposing. This

system allows governments to track the movements of animals more effectively,

has the potential for detecting early disease outbreaks, and helps in controlling

the disease further spread (Salvador et al, 2023).

Related Systems

Foreign Systems

​ According to Kulldorff, M. (2025) in “SaTScan: Software for the spatial,

temporal, and space-time scan statistics,” One well-known system developed in

another country is SaTScan, a software created by Martin Kulldorff and

 Disease Tracking Map for Bulacan Provincial Veterinary Office 13

Information Management Services Inc. This tool is often used in public health to

help monitor and study diseases. It can detect if there are groups or patterns of

illness happening in certain places and times, which is helpful for finding

outbreaks early.

SaTScan works by checking where and when diseases happen and looks

for unusual patterns. It is commonly used by health organizations and

researchers in different countries to keep track of health problems and make sure

they don’t spread. The software can also work with other tools like GIS

(Geographic Information Systems) to make maps and reports. Because of its

accuracy and usefulness, SaTScan has become one of the most trusted tools for

studying disease patterns and improving public health systems (Kulldorff, 2025).

The Global Early Warning and Response System for Major Animal

Diseases including Zoonoses (GLEWS) is a joint initiative by international

organizations aimed at improving early detection and response to animal disease

outbreaks. The system enables real-time data sharing, joint epidemiological

analysis, and transparent reporting to enhance global surveillance. It supports a

coordinated international response by combining the expertise and systems of

multiple agencies, ensuring a broader and more effective coverage of animal

health threats.

According to recent developments in digital healthcare, a novel health

analytics system has been introduced to enhance disease prediction and

monitoring. This intelligent system integrates data science, data mining, and

machine learning techniques to address challenges in health diagnostics,

 Disease Tracking Map for Bulacan Provincial Veterinary Office 14

particularly where access to large, high-quality datasets is limited. A central

feature of the system is its use of autoencoders and few-shot learning, which

enables accurate predictions using only a small number of more accessible and

cost-effective data samples, such as serology or antibody test results from blood

samples. The system is designed to function effectively even in areas with limited

access to advanced diagnostic tools like CT scanners, making it especially

beneficial in rural and under-resourced regions. It also includes an interpretable

AI module, providing healthcare providers with transparent explanations of

prediction results. This enhances user trust and supports timely, informed

decision-making. By identifying potential patients—such as individuals at risk for

COVID-19—early on, the system empowers healthcare professionals to

administer prompt treatment and curb disease transmission. With its

data-efficient approach, this health system promotes equitable, data-driven

healthcare, particularly in settings where traditional resources are scarce.

According to Desjardins et al. (2022), the Dynamic Health Atlas web app was

developed to help decision-makers understand how diseases spread over time and

space. This open-source and interactive tool, mainly built with JavaScript, shows

both the location and timeline of health-related data while also presenting the

uncertainty of the information. It was tested using two case studies: one involving an

outbreak of canine gastrointestinal disease in the UK and another analyzing

COVID-19 reproduction numbers and forecasts. These examples show that the tool

is effective for visualizing how diseases change over time and across areas.
 Disease Tracking Map for Bulacan Provincial Veterinary Office 15

“A Study on Community Mapping for ICT-Based Livestock Infectious Disease

Response” Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) and other livestock epidemics are

responsible for significant economic losses due to their highly contagious nature.

Early detection of these diseases is vital, yet challenging at the individual farm level,

primarily because of indirect transmission pathways such as veterinarians, feeding

vehicles, and equipment used across multiple farms. In response to these

challenges, Koo and Pyeon (2020) investigated an ICT-based approach to infectious

disease management that enables real-time livestock health monitoring without

requiring on-site veterinarian intervention.

Their study introduced a system utilizing ubiquitous computing and

automated body temperature monitoring technologies to detect disease onset in

livestock. The system transmits health data in real time, enabling early response and

helping to prevent further spread. By incorporating community mapping techniques

within a crowdsourced spatial information framework, the system supports

decision-making and coordination at the farm, regional, and national levels. This

approach allows for systematic responses to outbreaks and offers tailored strategies

for different stakeholders through phase-based mapping processes. The research

highlights the potential of combining ICT and spatial technologies to strengthen

livestock disease surveillance and rapid response infrastructure.

According to Koo, J. H., & Pyeon, M. W. (2020). Foot-and-mouth disease

(FMD) and other livestock epidemics are responsible for Economic losses

caused by foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) and other epidemic livestock diseases

can be enormous due to their highly contagious nature. Their early detection is
 Disease Tracking Map for Bulacan Provincial Veterinary Office 16

vital yet difficult under conditions that relate directly to the level of individual

farms, due to indirect cross-pathways following the veterinarians, feeding

vehicles, and equipment used across many different farms. In response to these

challenges, Koo and Pyeon (2020) investigated an ICT-based approach to

infectious disease management that enables real-time livestock health

monitoring without requiring on-site veterinarian intervention.

Their study introduced a system utilizing ubiquitous computing and

automated body temperature monitoring technologies to detect disease onset in

livestock. The system transmits health data in real time, enabling early response

and helping to prevent further spread. By incorporating community mapping

techniques within a crowdsourced spatial information framework, the system

supports decision-making and coordination at the farm, regional, and national

levels. This approach allows for systematic responses to outbreaks and offers

tailored strategies for different stakeholders through phase-based mapping

processes. The research highlights the potential of combining ICT and spatial

technologies to strengthen livestock disease surveillance and rapid response

infrastructure.

Local Systems

Based on the Bureau of Animal Industry (2025), the Philippines Animal

Health Information System or PhilAHIS is actually developed for modernizing

 Disease Tracking Map for Bulacan Provincial Veterinary Office 17

animal health management. It is an integrated system of collecting, processing,

and sharing information regarding animal disease occurrences, thus allowing

timely, accurate monitoring of conditions affecting animals. The system has

Surveillance and Vaccination Monitoring modules, which provide records of

animal health registration activities, from barangay level and up, and Laboratory

Information System known as CADDIS that integrates laboratory-confirmed

cases into the national database. Other systems to note include the Livestock

Movement Monitoring System, designed to monitor movement of animals and

their products from one region to another to eliminate the spread of disease from

one area to another. PhilAHIS is a step towards harmonized reporting, data

integrity, and accessibility of important health information to stakeholders. It

enables responses to animal health problems in this country to be more efficient

and data-driven.

Synthesis

​ The researchers reviewed various related literature, systems, and studies

relevant to disease tracking and veterinary information systems. These

references contributed ideas and insights that assisted the researchers in

conceptualizing and developing the Disease Tracking Map for Bulacan Provincial

Veterinary Office. The previous systems served as a guide for understanding the

challenges and solutions involved in monitoring livestock diseases and reporting

outbreaks efficiently.
 Disease Tracking Map for Bulacan Provincial Veterinary Office 18

According to several studies and systems examined, the lack of timely and

accurate information has been a recurring issue in disease reporting. Most

systems emphasized the importance of centralized, digital platforms that could

minimize human error, support rapid decision-making, and provide accurate

visualizations through mapping features. These systems demonstrated the

benefits of integrating web-based reporting tools and real-time updates for better

response from authorities.

The findings from the studies and systems reviewed were highly relevant

to the researchers’ proposed system. The Disease Tracking Map aims to address

the problem of incorrect or incomplete reporting that delays proper action from

the Provincial Veterinary Office. The mapping feature, inspired by earlier

systems, will allow the office to identify outbreak locations within 1km and 7km

radius, aiding in faster containment and control.

The researchers considered the strengths and weaknesses found in the

related systems. For example, while some systems were rich in features, they

were often too complex for users in the field. Thus, the researchers decided to

prioritize user-friendly interfaces and simple reporting forms. The information

gathered also influenced the decision to use web-based technology, ensuring

accessibility across municipalities and barangays.

 Disease Tracking Map for Bulacan Provincial Veterinary Office 19

In conclusion, the reviewed studies and systems supported the need for a

centralized, visual, and responsive disease tracking system. The researchers

agreed with most findings, especially regarding the importance of accurate data,

spatial mapping, and coordination among local agricultural units. These informed

choices shaped the development of the Disease Tracking Map for Bulacan

Provincial Veterinary Office.

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