Urgent Need for Real Time Web Mapping GIS Applications to Dengue Surveillance for Epidemic Control and Management in India

Abstract

Dengue epidemics has been increased both horizontal and vertical structure across the country since 2006, and hence, urgent need for GIS based dengue surveillance for epidemic control and management in the nation. The dengue epidemic cases and the mortality caused by dengue has become essentially public health important in India, and the situation has become worse since 2006. Dengue cases were clinically confirmed with thousands of cases and hundreds of deaths annually. The report of dengue epidemics is becoming daily news nowadays and it was reported from 24 states and Union Territories in India. The spatial and seasonal occurrence of dengue epidemics were reported across the country during the period of April to November annually, however, the vulnerability of epidemics was reported between the periods of mid-July to mid-November of every year. The geo-environmental and climate variables are fuelling to create a conducive environment for profusion of dengue vector mosquitoes Aedes species (Ae. aegypti or Ae. Albopictus). The information relevant to the geographical site specification of dengue vectors breeding habitats, vector abundance, vector density, etc., could be collected using global positioning systems (GPS), and these information are mapped and overlay on the thematic layers of climate variables (Temperature, relative humidity, saturation deficiency and Rainfall) under the geographical information systems (GIS) software platform for spatial analysis (cluster analysis, nearest neighborhood analysis, fussy analysis, probability of maximum and minimum likelihood analysis etc.,) for spatial risk prediction. The Google based internet GIS mapping could be used to embedded web mapping real time situation and updating the information with online data base connectivity (ODBC) within the GIS spatial engine for providing the real time information relevant to the dengue epidemics, and hence, the appropriate precaution measures could be taken to control dengue epidemics in the nation early in advance.