Synergetics to aid USDA with managing disease program

The Agriculture Department's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has contracted Synergetics Inc. to help get out ahead of its ever-growing user community and enhance its system that underpins the animal disease management program.

The Fort Collins, Colo., company will develop and support the services' Animal Health and Surveillance Management (AHSM) disease management program. The contract is for two years with three one-year options. Synergetics will analyze, design, develop, test and deploy animal health and surveillance forms for the department.

The focus of the contract will be to develop a server system to function with the Java 2 Platform Enterprise Edition Web application. Synergetics' work will cover the entire lifecycle development of AHSM, which include feasibility studies, requirements gathering, application design, application development, testing, stress testing, implementation, maintenance, help desk support and technical documentation support, the company's press release said.

Also, the AHSM system will be expanded and integrated into other department applications both internally and externally. To accomplish this Synergetics will:

• Redesign the database model;
  
• Provide messaging capabilities to allow data exchange and Extensible Markup Language file-uploading and parsing capabilities;
  
• Integrate AHSM with the National Animal Health Laboratory Network;
  
• Develop Mobile Information Management modules for data exchange;
  
• Develop modules for Veterinary Services Laboratory Submissions;
  
• Develop an interactive help system that will be interoperable with the department's help desk; and
  
• Work as necessary to respond to animal health emergencies or outbreaks.