Agribusiness is a prominent sector in brazilian economy, with a big potential. 
However, to maintain such a position, it is necessary to invest in technologies and 
new productive practices, together with the cares and influence the external market 
requires and has, mainly, upon animal production. Monitoring and controlling 
illnesses such as Newcastle, avian influenza and foot-and-mouth disease are some of 
the steps countries willing to take part in the international market need to take. 
Known as animal health control, this process aims to reduce the risk of diseases, 
minimizing the economic impact of an epidemy. In 2004, to answer the Brazilian 
Agricultural Ministry demands related to mapping of production establishments, 
SEARA Alimentos S.A., in a partnership with G10 - Laboratório de Computação 
Aplicada da Universidade do Vale do Itajaí, developed the Animal Health Geographic 
Tracer. The system was conceived under the perspective of access distribution via 
Internet, geospatial anchoring of the information and maps visualization through 
MapServer. After almost two years working, the system proved itself during the 
recent foot-and-mouth disease crisis, being used by the company to avoid, within 
its transport routes, quarantine areas defined by the government.