Planetary health intelligence: Integrating AI, drones, and satellites for real-time dengue risk mapping in Costa Rica
Planetary intelligence cohort
Team: Erin Mordecai, Giulio De Leo, Caroline Glidden, Rachel Fay, Emma Southworth, Sage McGinley-Smith, Dallas Levey, Joshua Lazaro
Dengue fever, a rapidly expanding mosquito-borne disease, poses a significant global health threat, exacerbated by climate and land use changes. This project aims to develop a scalable, real-time dengue risk mapping system for Costa Rica using drone imagery, AI, and satellite data to identify mosquito habitats and assess risk. By integrating conservation data, it explores how there may be a negative correlation between biodiversity and dengue risk. The system will enable targeted vector control, improve public health outcomes, and serve as a scalable model for dengue-endemic regions worldwide.
New research traces a direct line from warmer, wetter weather to a mosquito-bornedisease epidemic. The findings could help inform policy and interventions to blunt such outbreaks.