Gates Open Research最新文献

{"title":"Analytical performance and clinical usability of a low-cost vaginal swab for sensitive detection of high-risk human papillomavirus.","authors":"Victor Omballa, Jared Luchetta, Rebecca Amaru, Vimarsh Joshi, Jessica Wicker, William Bennett, Leyla Solis, Bridgette Mastaglio, Ninette Cohen, Lindsey B Turnbull","doi":"10.12688/gatesopenres.16399.1","DOIUrl":"10.12688/gatesopenres.16399.1","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Cervical cancer remains a global health burden, with >600,000 new cases and 340,000 deaths reported in 2020. To reduce this burden, affordable and scalable human papillomavirus (HPV) diagnostics - ranging from at-home to centralized laboratory testing - are needed. Specimen collection plays a key role in analytical performance, sample integrity/stability, platform compatibility and user comfort.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We evaluated the analytical performance and temperature stability of high-risk HPV (hrHPV) plasmid DNA and human cervical cancer cell lines on a low-cost Steripack XpressCollect flocked nylon swab using the Atila ScreenFire HPV risk stratification (RS) assay, the Cepheid Xpert HPV assay, and the Molbio Truenat HPV-HR Plus assay. We assessed the clinical usability among women seeking sexual and reproductive healthcare in New York, New York.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The Atila ScreenFire HPV RS assay was more sensitive in detection of HPV. We demonstrated statistically improved elution efficiency from the low-cost Steripack XpressCollect flocked nylon swab relative to Copan FLOQSwabs. Additionally, dry-stored flocked nylon swabs preserved sample integrity better than swabs stored in Tris-EDTA buffer over time with varying temperatures. Frozen HPV lysates remained stable for up to three months including during freeze/thaw cycles. Among healthcare provider-collected swabs, 7.5% were HPV positive and among the self-collected swabs, 20% were HPV positive. Of those with self-collected swabs, 97% had no previous self-swabbing experience, 71% preferred self-swabbing to healthcare provider-collected swabbing, 93% found it very easy or easy to self-swab and 100% were willing to provide self-swabbing at follow-up.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The use of dry-stored, nylon-flocked vaginal swabs paired with platform-agnostic assays, like the Atila ScreenFire HPV RS and other genotyping assay, offers a practical and robust solution for hrHPV genotyping in resource-limited settings. Additionally, self-swabbing using low-cost vaginal swabs was highly accepted and retained equivalent sensitivity, further justifying its widespread use in underserved communities.</p>","PeriodicalId":12593,"journal":{"name":"Gates Open Research","volume":"10 ","pages":"69"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-10-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13672373/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149215809","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Characterizing multi-criteria decision analysis, risk stratification, and hotspot analysis methods to optimise health policymaking and evidence translation for medicines in low- and middle-income countries: A scoping review.","authors":"Luke E Norris, Tessa Rose Cornell, Patricia N Okorie, Lily-May Hudson, Louise A Kelly-Hope","doi":"10.12688/gatesopenres.16402.1","DOIUrl":"10.12688/gatesopenres.16402.1","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Implementing new medicines or health interventions in lower-income and middle-income countries (LMICs) may be complex and challenging, and there is a need for practical structured approaches and tools to support the translation of evidence into practice, including the implementation of evidence-informed interventions and health policy making.</p><p><strong>Objective: </strong>This scoping review aimed to characterise three data analytical methodologies - multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA), risk stratification, and hotspot analysis - to evaluate their use in guiding the implementation of medicines for human health in LMICs between 2010-2025.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Scientific articles were searched in databases PubMed and Scopus following guidelines from the Preferred Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA). Data were extracted in relation to the study aims, geographic scope and scale, author affiliations, disease focus, medicine type (categorised as oral drugs or vaccines), target population, medicine implementation phase, use of templates or tools, and main steps of the methodological process. In addition, grey literature was searched by reviewing conference abstracts, national public health websites and journals.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>From the 4,920 articles screened, a total of 40 articles (MCDA=8, risk stratification= 22, hotspot analysis=10) were included from 28 countries across five global regions, mostly Africa. Most articles focused on communicable infectious diseases, and drugs (oral regimens) and vaccines in the pre-implementation stage at a sub-national level. The processes and techniques used for each analytical method varied widely, limiting comparability. However, common methodological steps were identified and used to construct preliminary templates to summarise the processes involved in applying each methodology and support their potential adaptations for decision-making around medicine implementation.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>These analytical methodologies provide a structured basis for further developing practical templates and decision-support tools to enhance the medicine translation; however, efforts are needed to raise awareness, strengthen capacity, and facilitate greater uptake.</p>","PeriodicalId":12593,"journal":{"name":"Gates Open Research","volume":"10 ","pages":"68"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-10-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13672374/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149215799","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Long-acting injectables for global health: drug development considerations and applications in malaria and tuberculosis.","authors":"Fran Berlioz-Seux, Benoît Bestgen, Jeremy Burrows, Tomas Cihlar, Zedong Dong, Debra Flood, Nathalie Gobeau, René Holm, Paul Jackson, Linu John, Mike Morimoto, John Pottage, Hanu Ramachandruni, Rada Savic, Bill Spreen, Rajneesh Taneja, Belen Tornesi, Birgit Verstynen, Peter Warner, Charles Wells, Paul Willis, Ping Zhao","doi":"10.12688/gatesopenres.16401.1","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.12688/gatesopenres.16401.1","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Long-acting injectable (LAI) drug formulations represent a transformative modality in modern therapeutics, delivering medications that maintain therapeutic effects over extended periods. While initially developed to improve patient adherence and acceptability for applications such as hormonal contraception and chronic conditions, including psychiatric disorders, their recent success in HIV treatment and prevention has catalyzed a growing interest in their application to global health priorities. While there are effective oral drug regimens available for tuberculosis (TB) treatment and malaria chemoprevention, their dosing regimens challenge patient adherence. By providing sustained pharmacological activity over extended periods, LAIs decouple therapeutic efficacy from patient adherence and simplify drug dosing regimens, enhancing real-world effectiveness. This position paper synthesizes the emerging consensus on the application of LAIs for global health from a multidisciplinary expert workshop convened by Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV) and the Gates Foundation in Chicago on March 17-19, 2026. Contributions considered compound selection, formulation design, pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic requirements, safety and tolerability profiles, toxicology packages for first-in-human studies, regulatory pathways, and the challenges of human dose prediction. Emphasis was placed on the importance of preclinical-to-clinical translation, particularly through the application of pharmacometric tools and model-informed drug development. The workshop highlighted strategic priorities for advancing the LAI field, including coordinated cross-sector approaches, pre-competitive data sharing, and communities of practice to address critical knowledge gaps. These actions aim to realize the potential for expanding LAI technologies to advance global health.</p>","PeriodicalId":12593,"journal":{"name":"Gates Open Research","volume":"10 ","pages":"64"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-10-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13668881/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149215802","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The Current Status of The Demographic and Health Surveys Program.","authors":"Madeleine Short Fabic","doi":"10.12688/gatesopenres.16400.1","DOIUrl":"10.12688/gatesopenres.16400.1","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>-->This open letter offers insight into the status of The Demographic and Health Surveys Program and invites readers and other members of the global health community to continue joining in collaborative, future-oriented design and creation for the program's longevity and evolution.</p>","PeriodicalId":12593,"journal":{"name":"Gates Open Research","volume":"10 ","pages":"63"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-10-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13668880/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149215942","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A mark and recapture perspective on vaccination touchpoints.","authors":"Niket Thakkar","doi":"10.12688/gatesopenres.16396.1","DOIUrl":"10.12688/gatesopenres.16396.1","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This paper considers large-scale vaccination campaigns, a major platform for vaccine access in a lot of the world, as a recapture estimate of the target population marked by routine immunization. Framing the campaign as a measurement, we learn about its properties, including the campaign's coverage of the target population and some implied sampling properties of post-campaign coverage surveys (PCCSs), the current gold-standard in implementation quality measurement. We develop this idea in the context of the 2023 measles campaign in Kano State, Nigeria, where we have detailed implementation data collected by vaccination teams involved in that effort. Looking specifically at the teams' tally sheets, the daily records of who they vaccinated, we find significant discrepancies between the recapture estimates and those from the corresponding PCCS. Exploring a variety of bias models applied to both the tally sheets and the PCCS helps clarify how anecdotal issues from the field relate to this discrepancy. Overall, we find that the tally sheets, despite being an unorthodox population sample, provide a tractable perspective on implementation and measurement, one that's in principle available nearly instantly and at high resolution for any vaccination touchpoint.</p>","PeriodicalId":12593,"journal":{"name":"Gates Open Research","volume":"10 ","pages":"54"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13562088/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148955624","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Capturing Family Planning Community Service Data into National Health Management Information Systems: A Five-Country Review of Tools for Community Health Workers and Pharmacies and Drug Shops.","authors":"Aurélie Brunie, Lucy Wilson, Elena Lebetkin, Lawrence Anyanwu, Mathieu Bougma, Valério Govo, Binod Joshi, Rogers Kagimu, Fredrick Makumbi, Sarah Nabukeera, Funmilola M OlaOlorun, Aluka Terpase, Trinity Zan","doi":"10.12688/gatesopenres.16397.1","DOIUrl":"10.12688/gatesopenres.16397.1","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Inclusion of data on services provided by community health workers (CHWs) and pharmacies and drug shops (PDS) in national health management information systems (HMIS) is important for planning and decision-making related to these family planning high impact practices (HIPs) and to family planning programming more broadly. Yet little is known on the extent to which information on CHW and PDS family planning activities effectively feeds into HMIS.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We conducted a review of HMIS tools in Burkina Faso, Mozambique, Nepal, Nigeria and Uganda to examine availability of family planning data elements on CHWs and PDS. Participatory discussions held as part of a subsequent webinar generated considerations for advancing measurement of these two HIPs through national HMIS.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>CHW registers and reporting forms include data elements on method provision and referrals in four of the five countries, but only include data elements on counseling in one country. Data flows vary substantially across countries. There is very limited integration of PDS data into the HMIS. Participatory discussions coalesced around a recommendation to capture information on CHW method provision and for leaving additional indicators on counseling and referrals at the discretion of countries. For PDS, discussions centered on challenges and experiences with enabling private sector reporting.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The review and discussions highlight the value and complexities of integrating data on community sources into the HMIS and the need for context-specific solutions. Interest and opportunities exist to align CHW indicators across settings. For PDS, more discussion on how to incentivize reporting and on feasible reporting platforms and processes is needed.</p>","PeriodicalId":12593,"journal":{"name":"Gates Open Research","volume":"10 ","pages":"51"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13562086/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148955682","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Leave no one behind: Global Analysis on monitoring childhood vaccination timeliness and catch-up using data from the WHO/UNICEF joint reporting form on Immunization.","authors":"M Carolina Danovaro-Holliday, Ignacio Castro-Aguirre, Mitsuki Koh, Inae Carolyn Kim, Yoann Nedelec, Marcela Contreras, Naor Bar-Zeev, Martha Velandia-Gonzalez, Marta Gacic-Dobo","doi":"10.12688/gatesopenres.16398.1","DOIUrl":"10.12688/gatesopenres.16398.1","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>In the years following the Covid-19 pandemic, immunization programmes have increasingly focused on the capacity to conduct and monitor catch-up vaccination-for doses administered later than the recommended schedule. However, it is unclear whether information systems are able to monitor delayed vaccination. We analyzed WHO/UNICEF Joint Reporting Form data from 194 countries (2016-2022) to understand if systems for tracking delayed childhood vaccination are available and quantify catch-up doses of the first dose of a measles-containing vaccine (MCV1). For Latin American and Caribbean countries, we also explored data for the third dose of diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis vaccine (DTP3). We assessed the completeness and consistency of reporting, the proportion of delayed doses, and vaccination coverage considering both timely and delayed administration. Analyses were disaggregated by WHO Region, World Bank income classification, and Gavi support eligibility. Results show substantial variability across regions and income groups in countries' ability to capture delayed doses. Between 2016 and 2022, the proportion of countries reporting a system to record delayed doses ranged from 55.5% to 64.4% annually, with the Region of the Americas (AMR) consistently reporting a higher proportion (77.1%-82.9%). Among countries with available data, the median proportion of delayed MCV1 doses was 4.4%, suggesting that including catch-up doses in cohort monitoring would increase reported coverage by approximately 4 percentage points. This increase was smaller in Gavi-eligible countries compared with non-eligible countries. The study summarizes global differences in information systems to monitor catch-up vaccination, presents examples of cohort coverage monitoring and illustrates the need to further improve immunization information systems and explore the potential for improving vaccination coverage and population immunity through catch-up activities.</p>","PeriodicalId":12593,"journal":{"name":"Gates Open Research","volume":"10 ","pages":"52"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13562087/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148955647","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Health system readiness for immediate Kangaroo Mother Care (iKMC) among network of care facilities in the Sidama region, Ethiopia: a mixed-method study.","authors":"Abiy Seifu Estifanos, Hailemariam Negash, Setisemhal Getachew, Dorka Woldesenbet Keraga, Akalewold Alemayehu, Mekdes Shifeta Argaw, Meles Solomon, Fitsum Woldegabriel Belay, Siren Rettedal, Sachiyo Yoshida, Anayda Portela","doi":"10.12688/gatesopenres.16395.1","DOIUrl":"10.12688/gatesopenres.16395.1","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>Despite Ethiopia's remarkable progress in reducing deaths among children under five, neonatal mortality remains high. The provision of immediate Kangaroo Mother Care (iKMC) for clinically unstable preterm and low-birth-weight (LBW) newborns has proven effective in lowering neonatal mortality related to preterm newborns. This study aimed to assess Ethiopia's health system readiness to integrate iKMC into Level 2 small and sick newborn care (SSNC) units, with a focus on a selected network-of-care facilities in the Sidama region.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We employed a mixed-method design. Through a cross-sectional quantitative facility mapping across a network of 25 facilities, data were electronically captured and analyzed in SPSS using descriptive statistics. The qualitative assessment included in-depth interviews and focus group discussions with mothers and family members of preterm or LBW newborns and a range of stakeholders. Data were coded, thematized, and analyzed using the World Health Organization health systems building blocks and the SSNC continuum of care.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Out of the 25 facilities, 8 (32.0%) had inpatient newborn care units (NCUs) and attended to 16,843 (68.4%) of all mapped births, 1,044 (96.6%) of all preterm births, and 1,143 (94.0%) of all LBW births recorded in the 12-months preceding the assessment. Four facilities with NCUs, admitting 93.4% of preterm and 88.2% of LBW newborns from the catchment area, were identified as eligible to introduce iKMC. All four iKMC-eligible facilities provided antenatal corticosteroids, had trained dedicated health workers to care for preterm or LBW newborns, and offered KMC. Although insufficient, they also had SSNC devices and infrastructure. The qualitative assessment identified facilitators and barriers related to the health system, families' knowledge, attitudes, engagement, and support, and mothers' household responsibilities.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Despite notable health system gaps, hospitals with inpatient NCUs demonstrated modest readiness and willingness to introduce iKMC and create a mother-newborn couplet model of care approach.</p>","PeriodicalId":12593,"journal":{"name":"Gates Open Research","volume":"10 ","pages":"53"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13562089/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148955614","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Structural and Functional Impact of the G340S Mutation in Plasmodium falciparum Ferredoxin NADP⁺ Reductase: In silico Analysis and Molecular Docking.","authors":"Daniel Kiboi, Brenda Muriithi","doi":"10.12688/gatesopenres.16393.1","DOIUrl":"10.12688/gatesopenres.16393.1","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p><i>Plasmodium falciparum</i>, the deadliest malaria parasite, continues to burden health systems across sub-Saharan Africa, where artemether-lumefantrine remains a frontline treatment. Partial artemisinin resistance is emerging, increasing selection pressure on lumefantrine (LM), yet the molecular basis of reduced LM susceptibility remains poorly defined. While LM has been described as refractory to resistance, its efficacy could be compromised if resistance arises. To explore candidate determinants of LM response and guided by a Gly332Ser substitution previously identified in Ferredoxin NADP ⁺ reductase from LM-selected <i>Plasmodium berghei</i>, we investigated the homologous G340S variant in <i>Plasmodium falciparum</i> ferredoxin NADP ⁺ reductase ( <i>PfFNR</i>), a central enzyme of the apicoplast redox system. To predict the structural and functional impact of the G340S substitution, this study integrated sequence conservation analysis, AlphaFold 3 structural modelling, structural superimposition, molecular dynamics simulation, NADPH and NADP ⁺ docking, HADDOCK docking with <i>P. falciparum</i> ferredoxin ( <i>PfFd</i>), and comparative docking of lumefantrine, primaquine, artemisinin and dihydroartemisinin. Gly340 was conserved across the Plasmodium FNR orthologs examined and mapped to a constrained loop adjacent to the NADP ⁺ binding region. Structural superimposition showed that G340S preserved the global <i>PfFNR</i> fold but introduced localized changes near residue 340. Exploratory single-trajectory molecular dynamics suggests that G340S may alter PfFNR conformational sampling, with increased RMSD, radius of gyration, solvent-accessible surface area and residue-level flexibility. Cofactor docking predicted a modest mutation-associated shift, strongest for NADPH, whereas NADP ⁺ docking remained largely stable. HADDOCK analysis indicated altered <i>PfFNR-PfFd</i> docking preferences, and antimalarial docking showed ligand-dependent effects, greatest for artemisinin and dihydroartemisinin, with minimal lumefantrine change. Together, these data support G340S as a redox-associated candidate variant that may reshape cofactor and partner-interface, but not as a validated lumefantrine-resistance marker until confirmed by biochemical, genetic and parasite-based assays. The findings define testable mechanisms for future functional assays of <i>PfFNR</i> in antimalarial response phenotypes.</p>","PeriodicalId":12593,"journal":{"name":"Gates Open Research","volume":"10 ","pages":"43"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-07-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13553589/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148929685","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A temporally harmonised gridded building-stock dataset for the Global South, 2016-2023.","authors":"Wen-Bin Zhang, Tom McKeen, Rhorom Priyatikanto, Weixuan Fang, Natalia Tejedor-Garavito, Alessandro Sorichetta, Andrew J Tatem, Maksym Bondarenko","doi":"10.12688/gatesopenres.16394.1","DOIUrl":"10.12688/gatesopenres.16394.1","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Rapid settlement change across the Global South is transforming the built environment, yet consistent spatio-temporal information on buildings remains limited in many low- and middle-income countries. Multi-temporal building datasets derived from satellite imagery can contain year-to-year inconsistencies caused by variation in image availability, acquisition conditions, and model performance, limiting their use for longitudinal analysis.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We developed a spatio-temporally harmonised gridded building-characteristics dataset for 130 countries in the Global South covering 2016-2023. The dataset is derived from annual gridded layers aggregated from the Google Open Buildings 2.5D Temporal dataset at a spatial resolution of 3 arc-seconds, approximately 100 metres at the equator. For each grid cell and year, three building metrics are provided: building count, building surface area, and building volume. To improve temporal consistency, we developed a deterministic adaptive forward-backward temporal smoother inspired by Kalman updating principles, rather than a formal Kalman filter or state-space model. The adaptive gain assigns less weight to annual observations that depart strongly from a grid cell's multi-year trajectory relative to a spatially smoothed baseline deviation measure.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Technical validation shows that the harmonisation reduces implausible year-to-year oscillations and relative zigzag amplitudes across the three building metrics. At the same time, high rank correlations between raw and harmonised annual layers indicate that the procedure preserves the broad spatial distribution of building characteristics. City-level examples further illustrate how the method handles intermittent missing observations, abrupt annual changes, and short-term oscillations while retaining longer-term temporal trajectories.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The resulting dataset provides a temporally consistent multi-year representation of building characteristics across data-scarce regions of the Global South. It is designed to support analyses of settlement expansion, population distribution, infrastructure planning, and environmental risk, while remaining best suited to multi-year trends rather than detection of short-term individual events.</p>","PeriodicalId":12593,"journal":{"name":"Gates Open Research","volume":"10 ","pages":"44"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-07-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13553590/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148929647","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}