Outbreaks of mosquito-borne diseases are common throughout world. In Europe, however, this was not always the case. Thanks to globalization and the climate crisis, these diseases have become more and more common on the continent, and Greece is especially affected by them.
Greece is in desperate need of solutions to the problem, and remote sensing might just be the answer. To further delve into this technology and how it can be used to control mosquito populations in Greece, we must first understand the people behind the technology.
The President of the European Mosquito Control Association, Sandra Gewehr, has worked at Ecodevelopment S.A. since 1998. This company is responsible for public health issues related to mosquitos, and Gewehr heads the Research & Development department.
Mosquitos and climate change can be addressed through science, technology, and policy
At the “Artificial Intelligence and Earth Observation Technologies Aid Decision Making in Wide Area Mosquito Control Projects” during the 44th Annual IGARSS in Athens, Gewehr explained her main concerns on the matter.
Sandra Gewehr explained, “One of the most important consequences of climate change is the impact on the ecology, and the distribution of mosquitoes and the diseases they transmit.”
Essentially, the rise in temperatures allows mosquitoes to travel further north, even more so thanks to summer rainfall. This is because the presence of water greatly benefits their development.
However, climate change is not the only factor that has made mosquitoes dangerous in northern areas of the planet.
Gewehr explains, “Globalization contributes, as it makes it easier for people to travel. Our mission is to see how we can make good use of the observational sciences to predict mosquito-borne diseases.”
So how can mosquito-related diseases be mitigated in Greece and Europe?
Gewehr has said that the use of observational sciences has been extremely successful in mitigating these diseases—so much so that their EYWA system (Early Warning System for Mosquito Born Diseases) was the first prize-winning system at the European Innovation Council.
The award-winning system predicts mosquito abundance in near real-time and can also predict outbreaks of mosquito-borne diseases such as the West Nile Virus. This has only been possible because of new technological developments.
“Ever since observation and remote sensing entered our industry, many of our everyday tasks have been made easier,” said Gewehr. “Mapping is one example. [This is] the ability, that is, to locate surface water under the vegetation, which is favorable for the development of mosquitoes.”
Mosquitoes can be controlled in two ways
Sandra Gewehr explained that there are two ways in which mosquitoes can be dealt with.
The first way to accomplish this would be in the water. Remote sensing helps detect mosquito breeding sites in the water through space and time. She says that the technology has allowed for the monitoring of almost 42,000 breeding sites, such as streams and canals.
For instance, Gewehr said that they provide an open application for phones for the public to use. This app called “Mosquito Vision” predicts the presence of adult mosquitoes in 2,500 villages in four regions of Greece.
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