Table 2.

An overview of the most commonly used PE methods and tools used to obtain specific information.

Method	Tools	Examples of data gathered
Informal interviewing (semi-structured)	Key informant interviews Focus-group discussions	Personal and group accounts of disease history and impacts Identification of important stakeholders
Ranking and scoring	Simple ranking Pair-wise ranking Proportional piling Matrix scoring Wealth ranking	Preferred types of livestock reared Relative livestock ownership Relative importance of livestock to livelihoods
Visualization	Participatory mapping Venn diagrams Seasonal calendars Timelines	Ecosystem boundaries and natural resources Veterinary services Seasonal variations in livestock disease Infrastructure Timeline of disease emergence and associated events
Direct observation	Transect walks Walking surveys	Infrastructure available Local environment Local living and working conditions Potential drivers of disease (such as water bodies, animal movements and interactions) Distance examination of animals for signs of disease
Participatory disease surveillance	The entire suite of participatory tools listed above applied to the disease of interest (usually based on syndromic diagnosis)	Information to develop a case definition Existence of or estimate of prevalence, incidence, morbidity and/or mortality of disease of interest