Stefaan Verhulst

Paper by Xin Lu et al: “Human mobility forms the backbone of contact patterns through which infectious diseases propagate, fundamentally shaping the spatio-temporal dynamics of epidemics and pandemics. While traditional models are often based on the assumption that all individuals have the same probability of infecting every other individual in the population, a so-called random homogeneous mixing, they struggle to capture the complex and heterogeneous nature of real-world human interactions. Recent advancements in data-driven methodologies and computational capabilities have unlocked the potential of integrating high-resolution human mobility data into epidemic modeling, significantly improving the accuracy, timeliness, and applicability of epidemic risk assessment, contact tracing, and intervention strategies. This review provides a comprehensive synthesis of the current landscape in human mobility-informed epidemic modeling. We explore diverse sources and representations of human mobility data, and then examine the behavioral and structural roles of mobility and contact in shaping disease transmission dynamics. Furthermore, the review spans a wide range of epidemic modeling approaches, ranging from classical compartmental models to network-based, agent-based, and machine learning models. And we also discuss how mobility integration enhances risk management and response strategies during epidemics. By synthesizing these insights, the review can serve as a foundational resource for researchers and practitioners, bridging the gap between epidemiological theory and the dynamic complexities of human interaction while charting clear directions for future research…(More)”.

Article by Stefaan Verhulst: “Europe is facing a defining moment in its approach to science, research and innovation. As geopolitical tensions mount and investment in dual-use technologies surges, the EU is being called to reimagine its research policy – not just for strategic autonomy but for lasting societal relevance and real global impact.  

At a recent CEPS dialogue on ‘Reimagining EU Research and Innovation Policy,’ this author focused on five asymmetries that policymakers absolutely must address if Europe is to avoid a future of diminished influence, declining trust and squandered opportunity. And the best way to avoid such a future is to build a truly (open) Science Stack.  

Data asymmetry – or ‘Winter is Coming’

The foundation of modern research – especially in the AI age – is data. Yet access to high-quality, dynamic datasets remains highly concentrated among a few private actors.  

Despite years of rhetorical support for data sharing, there’s been little progress made to foster systematic, sustainable and responsible data reuse. Without real incentives for data collaboration and investment in data stewardship, Europe risks entering a ‘data winter,’ where researchers and innovators are unable to access the very resources needed to compete or contribute meaningfully. 

A Data Commons approach – governed by clear purpose, ethical principles and structured collaboration mechanisms – isn’t a luxury. It’s an existential necessity…(More)”

Article by Emily Anthes: “In the spring of 2019, a nature photographer hiking in the mountains of northern China snapped an image of an unusual insect: a fly that appeared to be disguised as a bumblebee, down to its fuzzy black-and-yellow stripes.

The photographer uploaded the image to iNaturalist, a citizen science platform, where it attracted the attention of an entomologist. The following year, the entomologist published a paper describing the bumblebee mimic as a new species, now known as the mountain ghost stiletto fly.

It’s a testament to the power of citizen science — and it’s not an isolated occurrence, according to a new study, which documents how scientists are harnessing iNaturalist data. Since iNaturalist was founded in 2008, observations submitted to the platform have been incorporated into more than 5,000 peer-reviewed papers, with references exploding in recent years, the scientists found. More than 1,400 such articles were published in 2022 alone — 10 times as many as just five years earlier and a publication rate of nearly four studies per day.

The data has helped scientists identify new species, track the spread of invasive organisms, pinpoint critical habitats, predict the effects of climate change and explore animal behavior, among other things.

“iNaturalist is really pervasive throughout the biodiversity research,” said Corey Callaghan, an ecologist at the University of Florida and an author of the paper, which was published in BioScience on Monday. “It is fundamentally shaping the way that scientists think about research and think about designing studies and think about answering questions about biodiversity.”

iNaturalist users submit photos or audio recordings of the plants and animals they observe, along with the date, time and location. Anyone in the iNaturalist community can suggest an identification for the organism in the observation. If two-thirds of these suggestions agree, and the submission passes the platform’s data quality review, the observation is classified as “research grade,” and sent to a global biodiversity database available to scientists…(More)”.

Article by Valentine Benjamin: “In countries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), women face regressive stereotypes informed by religious and political mores that have historically made it difficult for them to openly discuss their sexual and reproductive health needs. As a result, they encounter significant hurdles in accessing sexual-health education and information about their sexuality, bodily autonomy, and menstrual health.

With the launch of Daleela in 2023, CEO Yousef ElSammaa and cofounders Nour Emam and Ahmad Abou Hashem aim to provide Arabic women with secure, anonymous access to information about sexual and reproductive health.

The concept for Daleela originated in Emam’s experience with postpartum depression and post-traumatic stress disorder, which went undiagnosed for eight months in 2019. The following year, she, ElSammaa, and Hashem cofounded the Motherbeing clinic, a hybrid clinic in Cairo, Egypt, offering in-clinic medical services and online consultations on TikTok and Instagram. Emam also hosts Motherbeing webinars on women’s fertility, pregnancy, and birth.

Through active social media engagement, Motherbeing quickly amassed more than three million users, who often reached out with questions about health concerns. Recognizing this ongoing demand for reliable information, the team decided to create their own AI model to address this need—the innovation became Daleela AI…(More)”. See also 100 Questions Women’s Health

Google: “We’ve spent years building powerful AI models to solve real-world problems. Today we’re introducing Google Earth AI, our collection of geospatial models and datasets to help people, businesses and organizations tackle the planet’s most critical needs. AlphaEarth Foundations, also announced today, is part of Google Earth AI.

Google Earth AI expands on our recent Geospatial Reasoning effort and includes models that address multiple areas. Notable examples include detailed weather predictions, flood forecasting and wildfire detection. Other models help improve urban planning and public health by providing a rich understanding of imagery, population dynamics and urban mobility.

These models already power features used by millions, like flood and wildfire alerts in Search and Maps; they also provide actionable insights through Google Earth, Google Maps Platform and Google Cloud. As we continue this work, we’re committed to giving people the information they need to solve some of the biggest challenges of our time…(More)”

PressRelease: “The Commission has published a template to help General-Purpose AI (GPAI) providers summarise the content used to train their model.

This template is a simple, uniform and effective manner for GPAI providers to increase transparency in line with the AI Act, including making such a summary publicly available. 

General-purpose AI models are trained with large quantities of data but there is only limited information available regarding the origin of this data. The public summary will provide a comprehensive overview of the data used to train a model, list main data collections and explain other sources used. This template will also assist parties with legitimate interests, such as copyright holders, in exercising their rights under Union law. 

The template is part of a broader initiative linked to the EU-wide rules for general-purpose AI models kicking in on 2 August 2025. It complements the guidelines on the scope of the rules for general-purpose AI models, published 18 July, and the General-Purpose AI Code of Practice released on 10 July. 

More information is available in the questions and answers online.

Download the Template for general-purpose AI model providers to summarise their training content…(More)”.

Primer by Meg Young with Sarah Fox, Vinhcent Le and Oscar J. Romero Jr.: “As government technology increasingly mediates people’s access to essential services — and impacts their rights — technology purchasing has never been more high stakes. Yet government technology decision-making processes rarely feature robust public input. Gear Shift: Driving Change in Public Sector Technology through Community Input argues that such input is essential, and that the most strategically important time to elicit it is before a procurement process begins.

This primer explores why public agencies do not typically look to affected people for input on technology design, and explains why technology purchasing will be a focal point for needed change. We call for a deeper gear shift, in which community input is prioritized before the government has even begun a pilot project, and outline specific opportunities and tactics to this end.

Ultimately, this challenge is not technical but democratic, and requires a reconfiguration of how power is distributed in decisions about the technologies that shape public life…(More)”.

Pew Research Center: “Last year, Google introduced “AI Overviews,” a feature that displays an artificial intelligence-generated result summary at the top of many Google search pages. This feature is available to millions of U.S. Google users. Online publishers recently have attributed declining web traffic to these summaries replacing traditional search results, claiming that many users are relying on the summaries instead of following links to the publishers’ websites.

A Pew Research Center report published this spring analyzed data from 900 U.S. adults who agreed to share their online browsing activity. About six-in-ten respondents (58%) conducted at least one Google search in March 2025 that produced an AI-generated summary. Additional analysis found that Google users were less likely to click on result links when visiting search pages with an AI summary compared with those without one. For searches that resulted in an AI-generated summary, users very rarely clicked on the sources cited…(More)”.

Paper by Aaron Martin: “Technological interventions in aid are both complex and deeply ambiguous. Nonetheless, many contemporary controversies surrounding humanitarian data reflect underlying tensions that stem from competing claims over sovereignty. That is, where disputes arise in humanitarian contexts following the unauthorized access to data by a third party, the unconsented sharing of humanitarian data, or the imposition of interoperability requirements on the technical systems of humanitarian agencies, these disputes regularly exhibit deeper concerns about power and authority that go beyond traditional privacy or data protection claims. This article explains the interpretive value of such a sovereignty lens on humanitarian data. To do so, it first provides an overview of how humanitarian data is shared by different actors involved in aid. Then it unpacks the meanings of sovereignty in the humanitarian domain while highlighting the emergence of “pseudo-sovereigns,” that is, actors who assert sovereignty over data in ways that challenge established norms and practices. The analysis reinterprets recent controversies surrounding the collection and sharing of biometrics, namely concerning the Rohingya in Bangladesh, Houthi in Yemen, “double registered” people in Kenya, and as part of the humanitarian response in Ukraine, through a sovereignty lens to demonstrate the utility of this perspective on humanitarian data. To better account for the complexities of power, I encourage scholars to center sovereignty considerations in their analyses of surveillance and privacy in humanitarian innovation…(More)”.

Article by Ian Leavitt and Margaret Arnesen: “Comprehensive, timely data helps policymakers and public health officials identify, track, prevent, and treat a variety of health issues, from communicable diseases such as measles to maternal and child health concerns to the opioid epidemic. But throughout the country, this data exists in separate agencies and departments, and numerous barriers prevent connecting the different data sources.

Some states are implementing promising approaches to help agencies better share data. A new brief from The Pew Charitable Trusts examines how Massachusetts is supporting the use of cross-sector data from various agencies or departments that is analyzed holistically to target more effective public health efforts.

Fully understanding these types of health threats—where they’re concentrated, how they’re spreading, and who’s at greatest risk—requires many different types of data. Health care providers, public health scientists, social workers, and insurers can analyze their own data but often cannot easily share, connect, and compare information with each other. This makes it difficult to get a more nuanced understanding of a locality’s health—and the threats it faces.

In 2017, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) created the Public Health Data Warehouse. By linking data from multiple sources, including health, housing, family services, and other public agencies, the warehouse allows state and local health departments, colleges and universities, health care providers, foundations, private companies, think tanks, and other interested parties to analyze and address priority health and quality of life issues in a comprehensive way.

“The driving force behind [the warehouse] was realizing that we had all of these disparate data points telling a piece of the story, but not the whole story together,” Dana Bernson, director of the Data Science, Research, and Epidemiology Division in the Office of Population Health, Massachusetts DPH, said in an interview with Pew…(More)”.