The EpiCentre is one of the largest software developers in the epidemiology field. In the 1990s, it built EpiMAN, a decision support system used to help scientists fight an outbreak of foot and mouth disease in the U.K. Now the team has developed InterSpread Plus, a modeling framework designed to help authorities control bird flu.

'This software models any contagious disease,' says Roger Morris, co-director of the EpiCentre. 'Basically, what we can do is to give the model the characteristics of any contagious disease, such as bird flu, foot and mouth disease or SARS.'

The software takes the population of animals into account and models the true spatial geography of the country, he says.

'So, in the case of avian influenza we represent all the poultry farms, backyard type poultry and the other types of birds that risk getting bird flu.'

The EpiCentre sells the software to various organizations, and it also provides consulting services. The team has recently built a model representing the British poultry population for the U.K. government.