Besides the fact that the mobile is used to receive notices of extreme alerts that help the Spanish citizen to take the necessary measures in the event of an earthquake or another type of disaster, it is also valid to report the bites of mosquitoes. Not for a simple anecdotal fact, but for make the first pitting map in Europe and thus try to reduce the expansion of certain species that transmit all kinds of diseases.
The first objective of Mosquito Alert is to carry out a study on the tiger mosquito in order to know if it extends to certain regions of Europe where for the moment their presence is almost nil. In this way, it is intended to create the first map to identify where and the dates when humans receive these hateful and irritating bites.
Besides the tiger mosquito (Aedes albopictus), there are four species that are sought after specifically: the yellow fever mosquito (Aedes aegypti), the Japanese mosquito (Aedes japonicus), the Korean mosquito (Aedes koreicus) and the common mosquito (Culex pipiens). These mosquitoes are responsible for transmitting diseases such as dengue, Zika, chikungunya or West Nile fever. Hence the importance of an application of this type and therefore the ordinary citizen is part of a real-time monitoring.
The five species sought after in Europe
free android
This application was born from the collaboration of the Blanes Center for Advanced Studies of the Higher Council for Scientific Research (CSIC), the Pompeu Fabra University (UPF), the Center for Ecological Research and Forest Applications (CREAF) and the Catalan Institute for Research and Advanced Studies (ICREA). The main idea of its existence is to make the Spanish citizen a very important part of a study carried out by experts combined with AI techniques for a real-time surveillance platform.
This is the app
After a very complete tutorial, in which its operation and all that can be done (including how to send a mosquito by mail) is explained, you reach the main screen arranged in such a way as to find four main sections: notify bite, notify mosquito, notify breeding place and my data.
Mosquito alert
free android
Since the red button can be notified of the bite of a mosquito and indicate where and when the user was bitten. This can be done as many times as you want without any limit. The yellow button is used to photograph one of the five most sought-after species in Europe. A photo of the thorax (the segment behind the head) and the whole body is taken and sent.
The third option offers the possibility of report breeding grounds on the public road. With the blue button a photo is added to send a capture of the den where they lay their eggs and thus eradicate it to eliminate the presence in the area of one of the species in search and capture. As the app remembers well, without standing water, there are no mosquitoes.
This is how it is reported
free android
The fourth section is intended to have a map of all engagement histories and thus modify the data sent or consult the information published by other participants in the same field. One of the best experiences of the app are the points, which are received the more data is sent and the better, and the more photos are validated. It is almost a gaming experience to level up as the presence or bite of mosquitoes in the area is reported.
From the same Mosquito Alert main screen, you can find the notifications button on the top left. This one is for receive expert responses on observations sent by the user, in addition to being aware of the latest news on mosquitoes in Europe.
Warn breeding grounds
free android
It is not just a simple application to notify bites, but also serves as a small encyclopedia to learn more about the different invasive species (Aedes). A tutorial detailing the recognition of a mosquito by its thorax and thus be able to identify the five species sought. All with illustrations that show the anatomical differences characterized by the mosquito thorax; the common, for example, has no design.
In addition, Mosquito Alert, provided the necessary permission is given, will randomly track the user’s approximate position five times a day in a 2 x 2 km grid. A very important point: your privacy is always preserved. This trace is mainly intended for find out if there are a lot of mosquitoes in the area or if the app is in use. In fact, from the settings you can disable this option called “enable sampling effort”.
Nail well designed app, although on Android it has problems accessing some of its main sections. They are expected to be fixed and therefore fully functional for the next few weeks, just when the mosquitoes will strike more insistently on those summer nights when only the presence of one is able to irritate n ‘anyone.
Download the app
- Download Mosquito Alert for Android.
- Download Mosquito Alert for iPhone.
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