Lara Phase II

Focus Area: Risk Prevention

Project Title: Laboratory Animal Records Application

Status: Complete (2020)

Overview: Through a strong partnership with Texas A&M University’s Texas Center for Applied Technology (TCAT) and with funding support from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology (S&T) Directorate, IIAD worked in close coordination with the Plum Island Animal Disease Center (PIADC) to design and develop the Laboratory Animal Records Application (LARA). LARA is a lightweight software application that functions on a desktop or a mobile device and enhances existing processes at PIADC by providing an electronic tool for collecting, managing, monitoring, and reporting on research protocol data. It significantly improves upon the historically manual, paper-based methods previously used. The purpose of the LARA Phase II project was to further identify, study, and demonstrate the ability to integrate information from physical controls, personnel data, and other facility information from a high containment laboratory into a software system. The refined system will not only improve data management and animal welfare compliance, but will also further advance information assurance and control systems related to security processes and practices. Using LARA as a use case, the team helped to identify requirements, and produce IT software specifications, that enable technology integration using sensors with direct implications to animal health monitoring and that could be further expanded to advance future herd and flock monitoring for outbreak response. Finally, this project aimed to advance a lead software prototype to demonstrate (in an actual laboratory setting) optimal specifications for laboratories to consider when integrating information assurance and information security to support scientific studies, facility management, and personnel management. These specifications and the demonstrated system served to inform, in detail, transition to use, addressing both technical specifications and workforce adoption. The transition documentation aimed for an operationalized system as part of the transition from PIADC to the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility (NBAF).

Project Duration: 9/21/2018 – 9/20/2020

IIAD Project Team: Sarah Caffey, Matt Cochran

Outcomes, Solution, & Impact:

• Deployed the final version of the software to Plum Island pre-production and production servers
• Delivered the final specifications for the IT system, including design and architecture, required licenses, software code documentation, version control documentation, defect reports, testing methods, novel intellectual property, and lessons learned from deployment and piloting
• Developed transition documentation aimed for an operationalized system as part of the transition from PIADC to the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility (NBAF)