A Primer on Biodefense Data Science for Pandemic Preparedness

Abstract

The coronavirus outbreak is sweeping the globe with outbreaks reported on every continent except Antarctica as of March 2020. Data scientists are uniquely and diversely skilled in ways that can be highly effective in minimizing, combatting, and recovering from the impacts of the COVID-19 outbreak. In this Opinion, the basics of biodefense as well as specific opportunities for the data science community to contribute are discussed.