Abstract: Successful vector control depends not only on the effectiveness of the control agent but also on the efficiency of the delivery system and degree of achieved coverage or impact on the vector population, either by impinging elevated mortality or reduced fecundity. Typically, vector population suppression should be over 80% to significantly reduce pathogen transmission and disease. Assuring effective coverage involves precise understanding of the spatial and temporal distribution of the vector population and human infections. Insect vectors and disease cases show over dispersed distributions, where 70-80% of the individuals occur in clumps or aggregations, also referred to as hot spots. Georeferenced data within a Geographical Information System (GIS) allows identifying hot spots and understanding the environmental variables associated with them. Data derived from satellite images, such as landscape elements (vegetation, impervious surface, water bodies, elevation etc.) and climate (e.g., temperature, precipitation) are essential variables to describe and understand the dynamics of the vector population and pathogen transmission. For example, urban heat islands, which are areas with higher surface temperature than undisturbed surroundings, have been associated with elevated Aedes aegypti populations and dengue transmission. Similarly, vector abundance and spatial distribution usually vary along environmental gradients. Having such a GIS in place allows planning the deployment of surveillance tools, vector control measures, and evaluating the impact of control. Surveillance activities are greatly improved by using electronic devices (cell phones, tablets) to capture data in the field, which could be monitored in real time to improve supervision and quality control. The progress of the activity can then be visualized in dashboards that can be shared with stakeholders. Some examples are provided in the presentation.
