About MOSPREMA
Honza Brus and Tomas Pohanka started the MOSPREMA project in 2022, based on long cooperation with local governments and municipalities, to deal with mosquito problems in Litovelske Pomoravi, Czechia.
The project was born and managed at the Department of Geoinformatics, Palacky University of Olomouc. MOSPREMA was supported by Norway through the Norway Grants and includes several partners and around 50 members across multiple municipalities.
Mosquito population control: addressing challenges with effective data solutions
During the spring and summer months, the municipalities have issues with mosquito population control. They need to monitor mosquito populations so they can apply control methods more effectively. Initially, they were taking aerial imagery and used an Android application developed in-house for mapping the mosquito breeding sites.
However, it became difficult to manage the application with frequent Android updates so they realised they needed a better solution. The program then got additional funding through the Norway Grants and they started looking into developing a more data-integrated platform that would allow them to collect near real-time data to share with the regional stakeholders.
Honza and Tomas were both interested in developing an open-source solution so they could have an easier time sharing the data with stakeholders without having to deal with an Esri licence. The lower cost of using open-source solutions would make the project more scalable with the local municipalities.
Using Mergin Maps with PostgreSQL for near real-time data
Tomas designed the data schema where the data collection project is created with QGIS and synchronised to the cloud with Mergin Maps. The field workers can collect the data when doing surveys or when they go to spray a location and record information such as the date the area was treated and how big the mosquito population was at the time of treatment. This is then automatically pushed to the PostgreSQL database using DB-Sync and MediaSync.
The PostgreSQL database is also connected to sensors collecting data about water temperature and water levels. The collected data from sensors and field workers is combined with meteorological data and statistical models that give them more accurate indications about the conditions for mosquitos. The data in PostgreSQL is then delivered to the end users via a map application through the MapTiler platform. The MapTiler Server hosts aerial imagery and vector tiles together with MapTiler SDK for the map application. Vector tiles are updated immediately after users push new data into Mergin Maps, therefore web users have up-to-date information.
It took about a year to build and test the program so it would be ready for use in the field. In all, they have more than 2,000 depressions that have to be monitored for water levels and mosquito populations and of those, about 500 locations need to be checked on a regular basis. The remote sensors give them crucial information about the presence of water in a particular location and they also have email alerts that are triggered when the conditions are optimal for mosquito population increase in a particular location.
Having accurate and time-sensitive data is crucial for managing the mosquito populations. In order for the spraying to be most effective, it needs to be applied between the second and third stage of larvae development when they are eating and the application is most effective.
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Managing the project is easier with Mergin Maps
Honza and Tomas say that one of the major benefits of using Mergin Maps is that the application is updated regularly. Knowing that the app is constantly being improved and supported means that they can focus on other aspects of the project development and management.
The ability to build the project in QGIS with a flexible data model allowed them to customise the project to meet their specific needs, a flexibility that is not always available when using proprietary software like Esri. In addition to flexible survey design, they also benefited from being able to connect the project to PostgreSQL, external GIS, and MapTiler Server to host vector tiles directly from PostgreSQL to the web.
They also appreciate that the app is easy to use for non-technical users and that the app is translated into other languages because many of the surveyors are non-native English speakers.
Overall, Honza says that the biggest benefit of Mergin Maps is the reliability of the app. The field workers are often responding that the app is working as expected without any problems. This reliability gives them the peace of mind to be able to focus on other aspects of the project.
Read more about the MOSPREMA project here.
