Developing GIS-based eastern equine encephalitis vector-host models in Tuskegee, Alabama

Area of Science:

• Environmental Science
• Veterinary Entomology
• Geographic Information Systems (GIS)

Background:

• Investigated vector-host dynamics of eastern equine encephalomyelitis virus (EEEV) near Tuskegee, Alabama.
• Utilized QuickBird satellite imagery (visible and NIR bands) to create land cover maps.
• Integrated georeferenced mosquito and bird sampling data with land cover attributes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess vector-host activities related to EEEV.
• To model the spatial distribution of mosquito and bird populations.
• To determine the relationship between environmental factors and species abundance for EEEV risk assessment.

Main Methods:

• Land cover mapping using ArcInfo 9.2 with QuickBird satellite data.
• Statistical analysis using SAS 9.1.4 to identify key mosquito (Culex erracticus) and bird (Northern Cardinal) species.
• Spatial modeling with ArcGIS 9.2 (Geostatistical Analyst and ArcScene) incorporating a Digital Elevation Model (DEM).

Main Results:

• Ordinary kriging was applied to model spatial distributions of total mosquito, Cx. erracticus, total bird, and Northern Cardinal counts.
• DEM analyses revealed a significant inverse linear relationship between elevation and the abundance of total mosquitoes, Cx. erracticus, total birds, and Northern Cardinals.
• Statistical significance (p < .0001) confirmed the inverse correlation between elevation and species counts.

Conclusions:

• Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and remote sensing models effectively capture spatial relationships between environmental variables and vector/host populations.
• Spatial statistics are valuable tools for understanding space-varying functional relationships in ecological studies.
• The developed models provide a framework for assessing EEEV transmission risk based on landscape and species distribution.