Integrating Citizen Science and Field Sampling into Next-Generation Early-Warning Systems for Vector Surveillance: Twenty Years of Municipal Detections of Aedes Invasive Mosquito Species in Spain

The spread of the invasive mosquitoes <i>Aedes albopictus</i>, <i>Aedes aegypti</i>, and <i>Aedes japonicus</i> in Spain represents an increasing public health risk due to their capacity to transmit arboviruses such as dengue, Zika, and chikungunya, among others. Traditional field entomological surveillance remains essential for tracking their spread, but it faces limitations in terms of cost, scalability, and labor intensity. Since 2014, the Mosquito Alert citizen-science project has enabled public participation in surveillance through the submission of geolocated images via a mobile app, which are identified using AI in combination with expert validation. While field surveillance provides high accuracy, citizen science offers low-cost, large-scale, real-time data collection aligned with open data management principles. It is particularly useful for detecting long-distance dispersal events and has contributed up to one-third of the municipal detections of invasive mosquito species since 2014. This study assesses the value of integrating both surveillance systems to capitalize on their complementary strengths while compensating for their weaknesses in the areas of taxonomic accuracy, scalability, spatial detection patterns, data curation and validation systems, geographic precision, interoperability, and real-time output. We present the listing of municipal detections of these species from 2004 to 2024, integrating data from both sources. Spain's integrated approach demonstrates a pioneering model for cost-effective, scalable vector surveillance tailored to the dynamics of invasive species and emerging epidemiological threats.

Authors

Institutions

Publication Details

Journal
Insects
Published
2025-08-29
DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/insects16090904
Citations
2
Primary Topic
Mosquito-borne diseases and control
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
3.76
Controls
|||
ALL TIME
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
article

Integrating Citizen Science and Field Sampling into Next-Generation Early-Warning Systems for Vector Surveillance: Twenty Years of Municipal Detections of Aedes Invasive Mosquito Species in Spain

Yasmina Martínez‐Barciela, Roger Eritja, Carlos Barceló, Martina Ferraguti et al.
2 citations
Insects
Mosquito-borne diseases and control
3.76
article

Integrating Citizen Science and Field Sampling into Next-Generation Early-Warning Systems for Vector Surveillance: Twenty Years of Municipal Detections of Aedes Invasive Mosquito Species in Spain

Yasmina Martínez‐Barciela, Roger Eritja, Carlos Barceló, Martina Ferraguti, Simone Mariani, Daniel Bravo‐Barriga, Javier Lucientes, Mariàngels Puig, Rafael Gutiérrez‐López, Sarah Delacour‐Estrella, María I. González-Pérez, José Manuel Pereira, P. Cisneros, Aitor Cevidanes, Frederic Bartumeus, María Cruz Calvo-Reyes, Joan Garriga, Santi Escartín, Alejandro Polina, Eva María Frontera Carrión, Pedro María Alarcón‐Elbal, Jordi Figuerola, María Isabel Silva, Sergio Magallanes, Francisco Collantes, Miguel Ángel Miranda Chueca, Isis Sanpera-Calbet, Ignacio Ruiz‐Arrondo, John R.B. Palmer, R. Melero-Alcíbar, Tomás Montalvo, Mikel Alexander González, Laura Blanco-Sierra, Inés Mato, Olatz San Sebastián-Mendoza, Marian Mendoza-García, David Macías-Magro, Fernando Fúster-Lorán, Miguel Domench-Guembe, María Elena Rodríguez-Regadera, Ricard Casanovas-Urgell, Mikel Bengoa-Paulís
article en
2 citations

Abstract

The spread of the invasive mosquitoes <i>Aedes albopictus</i>, <i>Aedes aegypti</i>, and <i>Aedes japonicus</i> in Spain represents an increasing public health risk due to their capacity to transmit arboviruses such as dengue, Zika, and chikungunya, among others. Traditional field entomological surveillance remains essential for tracking their spread, but it faces limitations in terms of cost, scalability, and labor intensity. Since 2014, the Mosquito Alert citizen-science project has enabled public participation in surveillance through the submission of geolocated images via a mobile app, which are identified using AI in combination with expert validation. While field surveillance provides high accuracy, citizen science offers low-cost, large-scale, real-time data collection aligned with open data management principles. It is particularly useful for detecting long-distance dispersal events and has contributed up to one-third of the municipal detections of invasive mosquito species since 2014. This study assesses the value of integrating both surveillance systems to capitalize on their complementary strengths while compensating for their weaknesses in the areas of taxonomic accuracy, scalability, spatial detection patterns, data curation and validation systems, geographic precision, interoperability, and real-time output. We present the listing of municipal detections of these species from 2004 to 2024, integrating data from both sources. Spain's integrated approach demonstrates a pioneering model for cost-effective, scalable vector surveillance tailored to the dynamics of invasive species and emerging epidemiological threats.

InsectsVol. 16(9)
Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats (ES), Generalitat de Catalunya (ES), Universitat Pompeu Fabra (ES), Universidade de Santiago de Compostela (ES), Universidad de Zaragoza (ES), Xunta de Galicia (ES), Universidad Cardenal Herrera CEU (ES), Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ES), Instituto de Salud Pública de Navarra (ES), Estación Biológica de Doñana (ES), Centre d'Estudis Avançats de Blanes (ES), Gobierno de Canarias (ES), Centro Nacional de Microbiologia (ES), Centro Nacional de Sanidad Ambiental (ES), Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red (ES), Agència de Salut Pública de Catalunya (ES), Centro de Investigación y Tecnología Agroalimentaria de Aragón (ES), Madrid Health Service (ES), Centre for Research on Ecology and Forestry Applications (ES), NEIKER, Basque Institute for Agricultural Research and Development (ES), Gobierno de Aragón (ES), Hospital San Pedro (ES), Comunidad de Madrid (ES), Departamento de Salud (ES), Consejería de Salud y Consumo (ES), Agencia de Medio Ambiente y Agua de Andalucía (ES), Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Epidemiología y Salud Pública (ES), Gobierno de La Rioja (ES), Agencia de Salud Pública de Barcelona (ES), Median SCP (Spain) (ES), Universitat de les Illes Balears (ES), University of Córdoba (ES), Universidade de Vigo (ES), Universidad de Murcia (ES), Universidad de Extremadura (ES)
Openalex Percentile: Top 6%
Mosquito-borne diseases and control
3.76
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
AI Navigator

Ask Laika to Summarize, Analyze, and Connect papers live on the map.

Summarize Papers & Methodologies

Extract key findings, datasets, and comparative methods across publications.

Benchmark Rankings & Visual Analytics

Rank top research institutions, authors, funders, topics, and journals by Field-Weighted Citation Impact (FWCI) and paper volume with instant charts.

Connect Distant Disciplines

Bridge topological clusters on the map to find hidden collaborative intersections.