Development of A Remote Water Property Testing System Using Raspberry PI 3 Platform For Mosquito Research

Abstract

Mosquitoes are able to breed and lay eggs in almost any area where there is stagnant water such as permanent bodies of water such as lakes and ponds and temporary small bodies of water caused by heavy rainfall, river or lake runoff. The more deadly species that carry viruses such as West Nile, Dengu, and Zika, and parasites such as Malaria are the main threat to humans. The main methods of controlling these mosquito populations are: surveillance (the monitoring and tracking of mosquitoes and their egg laying), source reduction (removal of natural and man made standing water that attracts mosquitoes along with improving drainage systems in communities), and control of larvae/pupae and adult mosquitoes (controlled by larvicides, adulticides, screens on rain barrels, acoustic energy to kill larvae and growth regulators.) This research includes developing a remote water property testing system that can be attached to a drone or other type of remote transportation to collect water quality data (temperature, water pH level, and dissolved oxygen level) and a sample of the body of water (small sample over a set course of time). The sample along with water quality data can be further used to aid in mosquito population control efforts. This would cut down on time, effort, and cost for researchers to send a single pilot to fly a drone to collect these data points and sample out of harms way.