Using low-cost drones to map malaria vector habitats

TLDR

Malaria elimination requires outdoor interventions such as larval source management, but its effectiveness is limited by the ability to identify and map mosquito aquatic habitats. The study aims to demonstrate that a low‑cost drone can map mosquito breeding water bodies across diverse sites in Zanzibar. The authors used a DJI Phantom drone (<$1,000) to capture high‑resolution (7 cm) images of seven sites, covering up to 30 ha each in under 30 min. The drone surveys produced orthomosaics that accurately identified water bodies and provided ancillary data such as access routes, drinking water sources, household locations, and construction types, offering a low‑cost, flexible tool for operational larval source management and broader public health planning.

Abstract

There is a growing awareness that if we are to achieve the ambitious goal of malaria elimination, we must compliment indoor-based vector control interventions (such as bednets and indoor spraying) with outdoor-based interventions such as larval source management (LSM). The effectiveness of LSM is limited by our capacity to identify and map mosquito aquatic habitats. This study provides a proof of concept for the use of a low-cost (< $1000) drone (DJI Phantom) for mapping water bodies in seven sites across Zanzibar including natural water bodies, irrigated and non-irrigated rice paddies, peri-urban and urban locations. With flying times of less than 30 min for each site, high-resolution (7 cm) georeferenced images were successfully generated for each of the seven sites, covering areas up to 30 ha. Water bodies were readily identifiable in the imagery, as well as ancillary information for planning LSM activities (access routes to water bodies by road and foot) and public health management (e.g. identification of drinking water sources, mapping individual households and the nature of their construction). The drone-based surveys carried out in this study provide a low-cost and flexible solution to mapping water bodies for operational dissemination of LSM initiatives in mosquito vector-borne disease elimination campaigns. Generated orthomosaics can also be used to provide vital information for other public health planning activities.