Breeding-site maps
Accurate, up-to-date maps of where Anopheles breed.
Projects Research
Using drones, multispectral imaging and machine learning to find and monitor mosquito breeding sites.
Overview
Jamaica is malaria-free, but Anopheles albimanus, a competent malaria vector, is still present, so the threat of reintroduction remains. Finding breeding sites on foot is slow and labour-intensive, and hard-to-reach areas get missed.
This study develops and evaluates a drone-based system to identify, map and monitor Anopheles breeding sites in Kingston and St Andrew, and compares it with traditional surveillance.
Approach
Survey the study area by drone, with multispectral imaging.
Train machine-learning models to recognise likely breeding sites.
Repeat the surveys across seasons.
Compare the results with traditional field surveillance.
Impact
Accurate, up-to-date maps of where Anopheles breed.
Hard-to-reach areas surveyed in a fraction of the time.
A method other territories facing the same risk can adopt.
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