A Connected, GIS-Based Response to Mosquito Threats

About the Program

Category: Risk and Emergency Management (Best in Category)

Year: 2018

Transitioning the County’s Mosquito Control operation from a paper-based process to a more efficient software-based system had been a vision of Palm Beach County’s administration for a number of years. Beginning in late 2016, staff from the Department of Environmental Resources Management and the County’s Information Systems Services department embarked on a project to develop a custom set of software applications using ESRI’s ArcOnline GIS-based platform. In the span of a year, the team built a set of tools that cover multiple areas of mosquito operations, including tools for responding to public mosquito complaints, tracking health threats, visualizing spray operations, and monitoring trap sites. Field inspectors now collect data via iPad computers and management staff monitors field conditions and assign tasks in real-time. This platform allows for easy sharing of critical information with the public as well as local partners. The implementation of these tools has streamlined the Mosquito Controls workflow, improved data management, enhanced customer service and created an effective way of monitoring and responding to emerging mosquito-borne health threats.