Mosquito Alert

{{Short description|Mosquito citizen science project}}

File:Mosquito Alert coverage in Europe.jpg

Mosquito Alert is a cooperative citizen science project, currently run as a non-profit and coordinated by four public research centers in Spain.{{Cite web |last= |title=What is Mosquito Alert |url=http://www.mosquitoalert.com/en/project/what-is-mosquito-alert/ |access-date=2023-07-18 |website=Mosquito Alert |language=en-US}} The aim of the project is to study, monitor, and fight the spread of invasive mosquitoes transmitting global diseases such as dengue, Zika, Chikungunya or West Nile fever. The Asian tiger mosquito (Aedes albopictus) and the yellow fever mosquito (Aedes aegypti) are some of the invasive species that Mosquito Alert watches out for.{{Cite journal |last1=Palmer |first1=John R. B. |last2=Oltra |first2=Aitana |last3=Collantes |first3=Francisco |last4=Delgado |first4=Juan Antonio |last5=Lucientes |first5=Javier |last6=Delacour |first6=Sarah |last7=Bengoa |first7=Mikel |last8=Eritja |first8=Roger |last9=Bartumeus |first9=Frederic |date=2017-10-24 |title=Citizen science provides a reliable and scalable tool to track disease-carrying mosquitoes |journal=Nature Communications |language=en |volume=8 |issue=1 |pages=916 |doi=10.1038/s41467-017-00914-9 |pmid=29066710 |issn=2041-1723|pmc=5655677 |bibcode=2017NatCo...8..916P }} The project provided the first detection of the Asian bush mosquito Aedes japonicus in Spain in 2018, providing the first report of a population of mosquitos that were located 1,300 km from their previously nearest known location in Europe.{{Cite web |last=Segura |first=Cristian |date=2020-06-17 |title=The new invasive mosquito species spreading 'like an oil stain' in Spain |url=https://english.elpais.com/spanish_news/2020-06-17/the-new-invasive-mosquito-spreading-like-an-oil-stain-in-spain.html |access-date=2023-07-18 |website=EL PAÍS English |language=en}}

Surveillance is carried out with the Mosquito Alert app,{{Cite web |last=ssn_admin |title=Participate with the Mosquito Alert app |url=http://www.mosquitoalert.com/en/project/envia-datos/ |access-date=2023-07-18 |website=Mosquito Alert |language=en-US}} which allows anyone with a smartphone to take a photo and report the possible discovery of one of the mosquitoes studied as well as their breeding sites. A team of expert entomologists validates the photos received and notifies the participant of the result. With ongoing work also integrating automated deep learning into the identification process.{{Cite journal |last1=Pataki |first1=Balint Armin |last2=Garriga |first2=Joan |last3=Eritja |first3=Roger |last4=Palmer |first4=John R. B. |last5=Bartumeus |first5=Frederic |last6=Csabai |first6=Istvan |date=2021-02-25 |title=Deep learning identification for citizen science surveillance of tiger mosquitoes |journal=Scientific Reports |language=en |volume=11 |issue=1 |pages=4718 |doi=10.1038/s41598-021-83657-4 |pmid=33633197 |pmc=7907246 |bibcode=2021NatSR..11.4718P |issn=2045-2322|hdl=10230/54838 |hdl-access=free }} The results are published on the public map,{{Cite web |last=@sigte_udg |title=Mosquito Alert Map |url=http://webserver.mosquitoalert.com/static/tigapublic/spain.html#/en/ |access-date=2023-07-18 |website=Mosquito Alert |language=en}} where users can consult and download the observations recorded since the project launched in 2014, as well as explore the models and results developed from this data. Data has also been openly shared via the UN Environment Program Global Mosquito Alert project,{{Cite web |date=2018-01-16 |title=Pioneering UN-backed, citizen-led alliance against mosquito-borne diseases joins global fight to save 2.7 million lives every year |url=http://www.unep.org/news-and-stories/news/pioneering-un-backed-citizen-led-alliance-against-mosquito-borne-diseases |access-date=2023-07-18 |website=UN Environment |language=en}} and the Global Biodiversity Information Facility database.{{Cite web |title=Citizen Power Mobilized to Fight against Mosquito Borne Diseases |url=https://www.labmanager.com/citizen-power-mobilized-to-fight-against-mosquito-borne-diseases-28199 |access-date=2023-07-18 |website=Lab Manager |language=en}} While most of the coverage to date has been in Spain, there has been increasing coverage in Europe since 2020, particularly in the Netherlands, Italy, and Hungary.{{Cite journal |last1=Južnič-Zonta |first1=Živko |last2=Sanpera-Calbet |first2=Isis |last3=Eritja |first3=Roger |last4=Palmer |first4=John R. B. |last5=Escobar |first5=Agustí |last6=Garriga |first6=Joan |last7=Oltra |first7=Aitana |last8=Richter-Boix |first8=Alex |last9=Schaffner |first9=Francis |last10=Torre |first10=Alessandra della |last11=Miranda |first11=Miguel Ángel |last12=Koopmans |first12=Marion |last13=Barzon |first13=Luisa |last14=Ferre |first14=Frederic Bartumeus |last15=Alarcón-Elbal |first15=Pedro María |date=2022-05-30 |title=Mosquito alert: leveraging citizen science to create a GBIF mosquito occurrence dataset |url=https://gigabytejournal.com/articles/54 |journal=Gigabyte |language=en |volume=2022 |pages=1–11 |doi=10.46471/gigabyte.54 |issn=2709-4715 |pmc=9930537 |pmid=36824520}} With CitizenScience.Asia promoting the use in Hong Kong with a Traditional Chinese translation of the open source app,{{Cite web |date=2017-05-30 |title=Mosquito Alert app lets Hongkongers report mosquito sightings |url=https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-beauty/article/2095777/hong-kong-citizen-scientists-localise-mosquito-tracking-app |access-date=2023-07-18 |website=South China Morning Post |language=en}} and mobilisation via school projects.{{Cite web |last=Mendel |date=2017-07-10 |title=HK public gets hands-on with Mosquito Alert at InnoTech Expo |url=https://medium.com/citizenscience-asia/hk-public-gets-hands-on-with-mosquito-alert-at-innotech-expo-2df9fa230240 |access-date=2023-07-18 |website=The CitizenScience.Asia Journal |language=en}}