Challenges in using geographic information systems (GIS) to understand and control malaria in Indonesia

Malaria is a mosquito-borne disease of global concern with 1.5 to 2.7 million people dying each year and many more suffering from it. In Indonesia, malaria is a major public health issue with around six million clinical cases and 700 deaths each year. Malaria is most prevalent in the developing countries of the world. Aid agencies have provided financial and technical assistance to malaria-prone countries in an effort to battle the disease. Over the past decade, the focus of some of this assistance has been in the provision of geographic information systems (GIS) hardware, software and training. In theory, GIS can be a very effective tool in combating malaria, however, in practice there have been a host of challenges to its successful use. This review is based, in part, on the literature but also on our experience working with the Indonesian Ministry of Health. The review identifies three broad problem areas. The first of these relates to data concerns. Without adequate data, GIS is not very useful. Specific problem areas include: accurate data on the disease and how it is reported; basic environmental data on vegetation, land uses, topography, rainfall, etc.; and demographic data on the movement of people. The second problem area involves technology – specifically computer hardware, GIS software and training. The third problem area concerns methods – assuming the previous data and technological problems have been resolved – how can GIS be used to improve our understanding of malaria? One of the main methodological tools is spatial statistical analysis, however, this is a newly developing field, is not easy to understand and suffers from the fact that there is no agreement on standard methods of analysis. The paper concludes with a discussion of strategies that can be used to overcome some of these problems. One of these strategies involves using ArcView GIS software in combination with ArcExplorer (a public domain program that can read ArcView files) to deal with the problem of needing multiple copies of GIS software. Another strategy involves the development of a self-paced training package that can be used to train individual

Mosquito longevity, vector capacity, and malaria incidence in West Timor and Central Java, Indonesia

The aim of this paper was to relate anopheline mosquito longevity to malaria incidence in two areas in Indonesia: West Timor and Central Java. We estimated the physiological age of females captured landing on humans or resting inside and outside buildings. The estimate was based on the state of the ovaries and was used to estimate longevity. The results showed that there were large differences between the two areas surveyed. In West Timor the longevity of the anophelines ranged from 13 to 23 days, sufficient for completing the intrinsic incubation cycle and for malaria transmission, whereas in Central Java the longevity was only 3 days, insufficient both for incubation and for transmission. We concluded that the West Timor study area had a greater risk of malaria transmission than that of Central Java and this was supported by village survey data that showed greater malaria incidence in West Timor than in Central Java

Environmental change over 28 years in a subtropical salt marsh: optimal classification and pictures from the exposition

We examine monitoring data for 28 years of change in a sub-tropical salt marsh where the hydrology had been minimally modified for mosquito control. This extends the work previously published in 2002 for 14 years of data, analysed by Mike Dale (Dale and Dale 2002 Community Ecol. 3: 19–29). The Minimum Message Length method was used in an unsupervised classification to determine the optimum classes, based on the characteristics of the two dominant plant species: Sporobolus virginicus and Sarcocornia quinqueflora. A question at that time was whether the observed changes were only those of state (or condition) or if they were associated with a change in the underlying saltmarsh processes (dynamics). In the 28-year analysis we have been able to address this issue. The classes were generally similar to those in the 2002 analysis. However, class extinctions occurred over the 28 years and only four classes remained: three were stands of Sporobolus and the other was bare mud. The latter, with mangrove pneumatophores, represented the encroachment of Avicennia mangroves into salt marsh. We suggest that the class extinctions and the final loss of most of the plants represent a change in the processes operating in the marsh. The observed changes may be related to sea level and/or climate changes but future research would be needed to assess thi

Tethered orbital refueling study

One of the major applications of the space station will be to act as a refueling depot for cryogenic-fueled space-based orbital transfer vehicles (OTV), Earth-storable fueled orbit maneuvering vehicles, and refurbishable satellite spacecraft using hydrazine. One alternative for fuel storage at the space station is a tethered orbital refueling facility (TORF), separated from the space station by a sufficient distance to induce a gravity gradient force that settles the stored fuels. The technical feasibility was examined with the primary focus on the refueling of LO2/LH2 orbital transfer vehicles. Also examined was the tethered facility on the space station. It was compared to a zero-gravity facility. A tethered refueling facility should be considered as a viable alternative to a zero-gravity facility if the zero-gravity fluid transfer technology, such as the propellant management device and no vent fill, proves to be difficult to develop with the required performance

Supported Employment and Systems Change: Findings from a National Survey of State Vocational Rehabilitation Agencies

This paper presents findings from a national survey of state Vocational Rehabilitation agencies regarding systems change in supported employment. Respondents from the 50 states and the District of Columbia assessed the impact of state systems change activities and policy implementation efforts on supported employment. Activities perceived to be most important to the implementation and expansion of state supported employment programs were training, technical assistance, capacity building, and policy and funding initiatives. While respondents reported that significant efforts were devoted to conversion during state Title III supported employment system change projects, they reported a lower level of sustained effort following the conclusion of these projects. Respondents from 26 states reported that fiscal incentives exist to provide supported employment services over segregated services. Fiscal disincentives were also reported. Federal and state policies and practices were perceived to influence the administration and operation of state supported employment programs

Contribution of floodplain wetland pools to the ecological functioning of the Fitzroy River Estuary

Coastal wetlands function as links between terrestrial and marine ecosystems throughout the world. They have vibrant and diverse flora and fauna, and are crucial habitats for fish and invertebrates, often providing critical nursery grounds and are major contributors of nutrients to coastal systems. However, our present understanding of tropical and subtropical estuarine floodplain wetlands is limited, particularly in tropical and subtropical areas. This lack of understanding, together with their extensive ecological importance and their value to so many user groups, makes detailed understanding of estuarine floodplain wetlands an important research priority. The delta of the Fitzroy River, in Central Queensland, has extensive wetlands clustered around its large estuary system. Except during flooding, the aquatic environment of the wetlands is restricted to a number of semi-permanent pools of varying types and sizes, which are recognised as important nursery habitats for marine fish, such as barramundi. Unfortunately, the way these habitats provide for juvenile fish, and how juvenile fish interact with other animals and plants associated with the pools (as prey or predators) is unknown. Similarly, there is no knowledge of how aquatic animals are influenced by the type of pool environment (eg. marine or freshwater influenced), or how the compositions and fates of pool inhabitants are influenced by the degree and regularity of connection to other habitats. Thus the current project aims to extend, broaden and refine our understanding by investigating the in luence of connectivity on faunal dynamics and food webs of Fitzroy Estuarine Floodplain Wetland Pools. The current study was conducted during a drought period, with no substantial wet season flows during the project. This has two consequences: (1) the study is limited to wetland pools, with little ability to generalise the results to the whole wetland, and (2) the results of the study are not necessarily representative of the situation during wet years

Iowa New Farms Project

Growing the dairy industry in Iowa has taken many facets. The Iowa New Farms Project started 4 years ago with 3 pilot communities, Butler County, Stacyville, and Brooklyn. The first dairy relocated to Butler County and started operation on November 15, 2005. The 350 cow dairy is owned by a former Dutch dairy farmer who immigrated to the United States on an EB-5 visa. Additional dairy farm families are in the process of developing their business plans for a similar move in 2006

Vulnerability of coastal and estuarine habitats in the GBR to climate change

Coastal and estuarine habitats occupy a central place in the functioning of tropical marine ecosystems. Their location at the interface between land and sea means they function to modulate the movement of terrestrial materials (eg freshwater, nutrients and pollutants) into the marine environment. Coastal and estuarine habitats also act as a filter, with functional units such as mangrove forests inhibiting trapping and retaining sediments and nutrients. Coastal habitats are also crucial nursery grounds for many species of fish111 and crustaceans, and act as links in the life cycles of species that migrate between marine and freshwater habitats. Beyond this, their close proximity to population and industrial centres makes them the marine habitats most vulnerable to human impacts. The east coast of tropical Queensland comprises a diversity of habitats, ranging from freshwater and littoral marshes, through estuaries, to nearshore open oceans and reefs. These habitats do not function alone but are an interlinked coastal ecosystem mosaic (CEM), connected at a variety of spatial, temporal, functional and conceptual scales. This complex mix of habitats is inhabited by one of the most diverse faunas on earth with organisms covering the full taxonomic spectrum, from viruses and bacteria to cetaceans. Unfortunately, detailed ecological knowledge is limited to a very small subset of the range of these organisms, with many species unknown, unidentified or unquantified. Although it is clear species interact in complex ways, our understanding of this is critically deficient. Moreover, many of the individual components are poorly understood, and details of the links between them largely absent