The most recent occurrence of a mosquito borne disease moving into the US is the Zika virus. This project will make a significant contribution in developing and accessing optical recognition software for mosquito larvae of Aedes aegypti, the carrier of Zika virus. The project, focuses on optical recognition software from photos of mosquito larvae taken by citizen scientists. The successful application of identifying Aedes aegypti larvae will be useful for public health professionals and others assessing the spread of the mosquito in the southern United States.
The primary goal of this work is to develop optical recognition software that identifies mosquito larvae in images submitted by citizen scientists participating in the GLOBE Observer. Citizen scientists will use an app available on smartphones or tablets through which they will submit larvae imagery and other environmental data. After reduction, the image will be processed on a server. If the query shows high accuracy, the result is sent to the GLOBE database. If inconclusive, the application will request the mobile device to send the original image for human identification through crowdsourcing or expert validation. Since the amount of data might require excessive computation and storage, the project will use Big Data tools and algorithms, e.g., MapReduce, to analyze the data. A secondary goal is to jumpstart a national campaign using citizen science to collect baseline data on the spread of Aedes aegypti and A. albopictus, the two species that transmit Zika, which may not otherwise be collected by public health agencies. Additionally, this project will serve as a responsive development laboratory to inform the ongoing development of GLOBE?s capabilities as a national, adult-focused citizen science program, while testing and refining mobile apps, map interfaces, and citizen science engagement and retention strategies in two pilot regions, the Gulf Coast and New York City, both identified by the Center for Disease Control as at high risk for Zika transmission and outbreaks in summer 2016. THE CROWD & THE CLOUD (C&C), an NSF-supported DRL/AISL project, will document the process of the work on film, and share videos and social media posts throughout the pilot phase. C&C will also include a video segment in its national public television premiere in Spring 2017.
