VectorNet: A tool to plan, manage and control pest control activities
Many activities scattered over a large area, budgets to juggle, tons of details linking theory to practice, inaccuracy of data to deal with, losing details in translation between people: these are familiar challenges for managers of the bovine Tb vector control programme. Their job is to design and implement the wild animal control programme to reduce the risk of Tb infection spreading from the Tb vectors to cattle and deer herds.
The Animal Health Board's (AHB's) challenge has been to plan more effectively, reduce administration and duplication, gather and store data so it can be used to make better decisions and reduce the risks from changing how things are done.
The result? VectorNet: a web-based information system that underpins all aspects of Tb vector control. This system is now the central tool for our $50 million per year vector control programme, covering nine million hectares of New Zealand. Vector control is a vital component of the National Pest Management Strategy to reduce the number of cattle and deer herds with bovine Tb.
Contact with infected wildlife vectors is the prevailing cause of domestic cattle and deer herd infection. The main Tb vector is the possum, with infected populations covering about 40 percent of the country. VectorNet enables the vector control programme to be optimised, supporting the whole annual vector programme cycle, shown in Figure 1.
In particular, VectorNet enables us to:
- set regional and national targets to achieve the Tb control objectives
- plan, prioritise and approve individual operations, creating a vector control programme to achieve the targets
- manage the tendering of control and monitoring activities to contractors
- manage the successfully tendered contracts
- capture activity progress and results
- adjust the programme based on analysis of operational results and disease incidents.
Good quality, timely data is vital for making sound decisions on the most effective and efficient way to reduce bovine Tb. Accordingly, in VectorNet every piece of data is related to a geographical area. To achieve this, a hierarchy of geographic layers underpins the 6,000 to 7,000 vector control activities in the annual vector programme (see Figure 2).
Significant benefits are gained by making this link between geospatial and textual data, including:
- increased visibility of decisions
- improved data consistency, accuracy and timeliness
- improved access to information.
Consistent, even control over possum habitat areas is critical to break the Tb cycle in possum populations. Previously, this relied heavily on local knowledge of bush areas and maps. VectorNet provides a consistent national approach to identify possum habitat using satellite images of land cover and aerial photos as a base. It enables users to capture local knowledge, improve the quality of information and share it with others.
VectorNet also links directly to work in the field. Possum density in a given area is critical data. VectorNet generates the exact locations where traplines should be placed in a given area, according to a statistically based method to measure possum density. These locations are downloaded from VectorNet to handheld devices used in the field. Monitoring results are recorded into the handheld device and the results uploaded into VectorNet.
The basic building blocks of VectorNet can be applied to other pest control programmes, where issues identified for the bovine Tb vector control programme often arise. By identifying the common elements, and the detail of the actual control work, VectorNet can be set up to run one or several pest programmes and ensure the data is consistent, accurate and manageable. This is a great advantage for managers, researchers, analysts and pest control experts alike.
- Alison Barrett, Manager Business Strategy and Systems, Animal Health Board, barretta@ahb.org.nz
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Page last updated: 11 July 2008