This site is intended to gather data resources that relate to One Health with a current focus on Colorado. This site was spurred forward by conversations with a multitude of individuals and organizations have made it clear that there is need for a centralized site from which One Health related, or One Health adjacent data can be accessed.
One Health is defined as "a collaborative, multisectoral, and trans-disciplinary approach - working at local, regional, national, and global levels - to achieve optimal health (and well-being) outcomes recognizing the interconnections between people, animals, plants and their shared" ecosystems (One Health Commission, n.d.). One Health requires focus - not only on the health of individuals, populations, and ecosystems - but on how to mitigate the adverse and disparate outcomes of our current health systems.
The "construct" of 'One Health' - when used purposefully - is a tool for explaining concepts of complex interconnectedness and broadening the understanding of the importance of collaboration. In collaborative settings, One Health "synergy" occurs between team members and "provide[s] greater resolution to issues than each individual could have come up with acting alone". The concept of 'One Health' also can be impactful in a personal way, empowering people to view their own ecosystem "differently" through recognizing the deep and inherent connectedness between peoples, animals, and the ecosystems. The One Health framework of trans-disciplinary collaboration may also act as path that "substantiate[s] a sense of hope" for the future, as different fields come together to address complicated issues. The overarching usefulness of the term 'One Health' may be summarized by the following sentiment:
When applied to collaborations, the term 'One Health', does not inherently change the work that is unfolding, rather it "changes how we talk about" the work being done by contextualizing it, not just to those completing the work, but to everyone that the work is discussed with.
Databases/datasets are linked through our site and exist under large categories. Some may exist in more than one category, while others may be more specific and linked under one category. These datasets and bases are also tagged with more specific keywords that refer to datasets that the bases contain. Each dataset will provide details on how to access or download the data from that specific site.
While it may seem counterintuitive to divide ecosystem, animal, and human health into silos since one health concepts require us to think of the interconnectedness of the health, for searching purposes, we believe this separation may be helpful.
If you come across a database or dataset that you believe we should have linked from this site, please submit the link and any additional information in our submission box!
While this site was created with the intention of serving researchers involved in One Health work – we welcome and encourage anyone and everyone to use it! We are strong proponents of community science, and in creating a site that collects all of these databases, we strive to make One Health data more accessible.
