In April, Frederic Bartumeus and Alex Richter-Boix, members of the CSIC and Mosquito Alert team had the opportunity to participate in the WSA Global Congress held in the region of Los Lagos, Southern Chile, as winners of the WSG 2023.

At the congress, the team presented the Mosquito Alert tool developed by CSIC and UPF, an integral part of the E4Warning project aimed at enhancing the capabilities of monitoring and managing vectors and mosquito-borne diseases. Over recent years, the tool has proven its effectiveness and impact by detecting the early presence of invasive mosquitoes –like the tiger mosquito Aedes albopictus– that can act as vectors, as well as capturing and modelling the dynamics of their populations, contributing to improving the management of mosquitoes in cities like Barcelona, Spain, in collaboration with the Public Health Agency of Barcelona (ASPB) which are also partners of E4Warning.

The theme of this year’s WSA Congress, “planet_hack_,” was aptly chosen to highlight the urgent need to address climate change and the expanding opportunities for technological and environmental innovations that accompany this challenge. Participation in the event allowed to not only share the achievements and the impacts of the Mosquito Alert tool but also to engage with other innovators, fostering a network of contacts.

The congress was a celebration of impact entrepreneurship, aligning perfectly with the UN’s global goals and providing a platform for like-minded pioneers to connect and exchange ideas. The team returned energized, ready to build on the substantial progress already made in public health surveillance and excited about the promising new collaborations that arose from this inspiring event.

Read more about the event and the 2023 winner’s catalog here: https://wsa-global.org/2024/01/10/wsa-global-congress-2024-goes-chile/ 

The Mosquito Alert tool, which is used in the E4Warning project and was developed by several consortium partners, has received international recognition at the WSA 2023. This award is given to digital solutions that contribute significantly to creating healthier, more sustainable, and inclusive urban environments.

The WSA awards, which were established within the framework of the United Nations World Summit of the Information Society (WSIS), aim to identify and promote digital innovations that positively impact society and advance the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

Out of 466 submissions from 88 countries, Mosquito Alert has been selected as one of the top 40 digital initiatives across eight different categories. This achievement highlights the effectiveness and relevance of the platform in addressing critical issues related to public health and environmental sustainability.

As part of this honor, the Mosquito Alert team will be joining other winners at the WSA World Congress 2024, which is scheduled from April 14 to 17 in the Chilean Patagonia. This event offers invaluable opportunities for networking, mentorship, and collaboration, further amplifying the impact of each project’s technological solutions on a global scale.

Mosquito Alert

Mosquito Surveillance through Citizen Engagement

Mosquito Alert is an initiative that engages the public in monitoring vector mosquitoes and studying the spread of invasive mosquito species. It is a “citizen observatory” coordinated by Spanish research institutions, including CSIC, UPF, and CREAF. This groundbreaking program aims to transform the traditional methods of mosquito surveillance by promoting citizen participation and the adoption of new technologies.

Mosquito Alert is supported by an extensive network of entomology and public health experts. It demonstrates the power of collaboration in addressing global health challenges. By empowering communities and leveraging cutting-edge technologies, the platform not only revolutionizes disease surveillance but also drives innovation in the management and prevention of mosquito-borne illnesses.

The Mosquito Alert platform plays a pivotal role in Work Package 2 (WP2) of the E4Warning project. WP2’s primary objective is to enhance the accuracy of AI-based mosquito image classification, thereby enabling the development of a real-time early warning system that can identify invasive species across multiple study sites of the E4Warning project. The proposed real-time early warning system will enable effective identification and monitoring of invasive mosquito species across different geographies, thereby bolstering the E4Warning project’s broader research efforts in this domain.