While the metapopulation
framework highlights the role of migration in maintaining regional persistence,
the inherent challenges in measuring human movement have limited the ability to
predict the specific dynamics of large-scale disease metapopulations (though
see Grenfell 2001 Xia 2004 for a comprehensive retrospective analysis of the
very regular patterns of measles fade-out in England and Wales in the
pre-vaccine era). Increasingly, remote sensing technology, such as satellite
imagery and cell phones, have allowed formal quantification of rates of human
movement between population centers, from which we can characterize the
dynamics of connectivity may allow a more operational understanding of epidemic
sources and sinks from which we can more effectively prioritize surveillance
and control efforts Bharti 2016.