Drones and epidemiology: A new anatomy for surveillance

© 2019, Springer Nature Limited. This article analyses drones as an upcoming device in the field of epidemiology. It is based on a research project which aims to track the variations in the forms of vigilance experienced by epidemiology in recent decades. After surveying approaches such as bioepidemiology and tele-epidemiology, we propose that the use of drones in this discipline entails the onset of a new era for surveillance and control, which may transform the very articulation of our societies; this is because surveillance is no longer conducted to monitor, much less to punish, rather it now aspires to create and manage the global circulation flows that determine our behaviours in real time.