BETHESDA, MD — As technology advances and the ability of researchers to collect and compute larger and larger amounts of data increases, the face of epidemiology is slowly but surely changing.

WASHINGTON — Imagine that future soldiers could one day wear a nano patch as part of an advanced battlesuit that would relay their vital signals and administer medicine if they were injured in battle. Or, that remotely controlled unmanned vehicles could assist in medication delivery or evacuating casualties from the battlefield.