On Sept. 14, 2020, at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) reported that U.S. analysts monitoring global biothreats had begun tracking an unidentified viral pneumonia spreading in China through technology developed at the PNNL. About a month later, the rest of the world would know that disease as COVID-19.

Some of the earliest insights came from a team of U.S. analysts who constantly monitor open-source text for information about active and potential biological, chemical, and radiation threats to humans, animals, and the environment. This information helps track all aspects of an ongoing event like COVID-19 from inception to its impact on the world.

Data-mining software developed at PNNL called BioFeeds plays a key role, helping analysts by automating the process of combing through tens of thousands of articles each day. Dozens of government agencies and international partners rely on the reports from BioFeeds—developed with support from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security National Biosurveillance Integration Center—to quickly get relevant information about active, future, and emerging biothreats, including COVID-19.