Mosquitoes are not only annoying, but also dangerous. Not in general -there are more than 3,500 species in the world -but some of them can transmit pathogens that cause diseases such as malariahe denguethe Chikungunya, Western Nile Fever or the Zika. This is the case, in Spain, invasive species such as Tigre mosquitoresponsible, for example, that there have been cases of dengue in Spain in recent years. This species was introduced into the peninsula in 2004 and since then it has not stopped expanding.
To control the proliferation of the Tigre mosquito and other non -native species in Spain, especially in the summer months, in which the heat favors the presence of these insects, a citizen science project has existed for more than a decade, headed by the Ecological Research Center and Forest Applications (CREAF)which has a useful app, Mosquito Alertavailable for both Android and iOS.
Mosquito Alert is presented as the largest mosquito surveillance network in the world and allows users to contribute to the study and monitoring of invading mosquitoes and epidemiological interest. With the app can be notified bites, the presence of mosquitoes and their breeding places.
With this information, which is validated by an international team of expert entomologists, Mosquito Alert Make a Interactive map which can be consulted in the app. In addition, since last May, Mosquito Alert uses a Artificial Intelligence called Aima which is responsible for identifying the species that appear in the photos that users upload.
The check it performs Aima It does not replace that of entomologists, but complements it. Now, so that a mosquito can be identified, in the photo you send must be able to appreciate The thorax pattern of the insect, which is what allows to distinguish some species from others. A photo, for example, of the mosquito from the side is not enough to know what species it is.
The project is focused on the detection and control of Five different species of mosquitoes: he Tigre mosquito (Aedes albopictus), Yellow fever mosquito (Aedes aegypti), Japan mosquito (Aedes Japonicus), Korea mosquito (Aedes Koreicus) and the Common mosquito (Pipiens Culex). The information that reflects Mosquito Alertin addition to being useful for users, it allows the authorities to establish what are the Risk areas and activate campaigns of Control and prevention.