Data Preparation for West Nile Virus Agent-Based Modelling: Protocol for Processing Bird Population Estimates and...

Area of Science:

• Environmental Science
• Epidemiology
• Computational Biology

Background:

• West Nile Virus (WNV) first isolated in 1937, with global outbreaks since the 1950s.
• First WNV-infected birds detected in Manitoba, Canada in 2002.
• Growing need for advanced modeling to understand WNV transmission dynamics.

Purpose of the Study:

• Describe data preparation for a GIS simulation environment for WNV Agent-Based Modelling (ABM) in Manitoba.
• Establish a framework for integrating diverse datasets for disease modeling.
• Facilitate WNV surveillance and control strategies through advanced simulation.

Main Methods:

• Utilized AnyLogic and ArcGIS software for GIS simulation environment setup.
• Collected and processed diverse data including landscape, weather, bird populations, and human demographics.
• Developed shapefile land cover maps and converted municipal maps for AnyLogic compatibility.

Main Results:

• Created a grid land cover map of Manitoba in shapefile format for mosquito parameter modulation.
• Assembled data for 152 bird species, including population estimates and locations.
• Converted municipality shapefiles to AnyLogic GIS regions for agent placement and census data integration.

Conclusions:

• AnyLogic and ArcGIS offer a robust platform for simulating GIS-based environments.
• Demonstrated the importance of localized data for WNV modeling in Manitoba.
• Provided a procedural framework applicable to other mosquito-borne diseases like Zika, dengue, and chikungunya.