Location Intelligence: The Use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in Arboviral Surveillance and Mitigation in Washington, D.C.

Abstract

In response to the Zika outbreak in the Americas, Washington, D.C. substantially increased mosquito monitoring activities. Facilitating a place-based characterization of the urban environment where disease-carrying vectors live and breed, technology can be used to identify at-risk urban populations and develop targeted strategies to respond. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) possess capabilities that written narratives cannot provide and can inform more accurately: locations of risks, spatial relationships, and the environmental and social issues associated with areas potentially harboring virus carrying vectors. The research will show the importance of regional collaboration with partners in Maryland and Virginia who share not only "invisible" borders, but also infrastructure, transportation, and testing facilities critical to the District's comprehensive arbovirus surveillance and mitigation plan. Strategic alliances involving the Department of Defense (DOD), public/private partnerships with the National Gallery of Art, and most recently and remarkably, the Federal National Park Service, are key collaborators providing for the most comprehensive mosquito surveillance and vector control program in the history of Washington, D.C.