Knowledge Management in Big Data Times for Global Health: Challenges for Quality in One Health

Introduction

According to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), 55% of global wealth is knowledge (OECD, 2008). Drucker (2006) point out that generating more of this knowledge will occur in parallel to an increase in knowledge management (Drucker, 2006).

In the age of knowledge, intellectual capital has played an important role in economy and business, a key factor for competitiveness and, therefore, for economic and technological development. In high-density areas, such as pharmaceutical, aerospace and telecommunications, among others of equal weight and impact, knowledge becomes the most important asset (LASTRES, ALBAGLI, 1999).

New trends influence the industrial development of a country, such as knowledge, a main resource, and learning, a central process. Therefore, it is essential to broaden the base of expertise in human resources and hence, increase the potential of innovation (Lastres, HMM & Sarita, A, 1999b).

Nevertheless, public health issues and problems are immense and require a multidisciplinary workforce. They must be considered and analyzed in the context of the real conditions of each culture, developed using Research, Development, and Innovation strands (P, D&I), and through cooperation networks to disseminate the knowledge generated to achieve local development and create innovation. Working with Information Science, any application in the field includes a highly structured network. Due to the fact that the processes involved in “P, D & I drugs” are increasingly complex, it is necessary, as a first step, to form multidisciplinary teams to establish a systemic vision (QUONIAM, LUCIEN, 2010). In this sense, this involves significant effort and knowledge to achieve a precise match between Information Science and Knowledge Management, given that we live in the information era of the 21^st century (Magalhaes et al., 2018).

This deluge of data in the 21st century, known as Big Data, requires a different analysis. This analysis is already used successfully in several countries, such as the United States. They incorporated the concept in almost all their productive sectors. In 2014, the American government presented the report “Big Data: Seizing opportunities, Preserving values ”, with the objective of consulting the main American stakeholders such as Apple, IBM, Google, Bank of America, amongst others, on questions about opportunities and values in the use of Big Data, and, thus, evaluate how it will change relationships between government, citizens, businesses and consumers (The White House, 2016).

In this new era of knowledge, the data available for Global Health are immense and must be considered considering global health situations that are unprecedented in history. Global health is the understanding of health care in an international and interdisciplinary context. It includes the study, research, and practice of medicine with a focus on improving health and health care equity for populations worldwide. Global health initiatives consider both medical and non-medical disciplines, such as epidemiology, sociology, economic disparities, public policy, environmental factors, cultural studies, etc. (WHO, 2021).

One of the most prominent agencies focused on advancing global health is the World Health Organization (WHO), but this agency is not alone. Researchers and leaders in a variety of fields are spearheading initiatives that form alliances between historically disassociated fields. There is no doubt that our global environment is changing – from the hottest years on record, to the worldwide disappearance of pollinators, to the global collapse of fisheries, and to our use of about half of the planet's livable surface to feed ourselves.