CRII: SCH: Deep learning-enhanced geospatial modeling for highlighting active disease transmission hotspots through accurate Human-Vector Contact Zones (HVCZ) prediction

NSF Award Search · 01002526DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT · $174,544 · view on nsf.gov ↗

Abstract

Mosquito-borne infectious diseases remains a major threat to health and prosperity across much of the world, causing nearly a quarter-billion illnesses each year. Stopping transmission of mosquito-borne diseases requires knowing exactly where infected mosquitoes and susceptible humans share the same space, yet most maps still only focus on coarser spatial scales like the villages or districts. This award integrates geospatial data like satellite imagery, population count data, and artificial intelligence (AI) to locate those high-risk micro-regions in Southern Africa. By revealing Potential Human-Vector Contact Zones (PHVCZ) that concentrate both human movement and mosquito activity, the work will guide bed-net distribution, indoor insecticide spraying, and community outreach to the places that save the most lives while reducing costs. Open-source software, training workshops, and publicly released risk maps will strengthen disease-control capacity in partner countries and provide a template for confronting other mosquito-borne threats such as dengue and Zika, thereby promoting national and global welfare. This award develops a novel, integrated geospatial framework that applies advanced machine learning techniques to map disease-transmission risk. High-resolution satellite imagery is processed with computer-vision methods and enriched with building information, road networks, land-cover classifications, community points of interest, and population data to generate seasona

Key facts

NSF award ID
2451156
Awardee
University of North Carolina at Charlotte (NC)
SAM.gov UEI
JB33DT84JNA5
PI
Yao Li
Primary program
01002526DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT
All programs
Smart and Connected Health, CISE Resrch Initiatn Initiatve
Estimated total
$174,544
Funds obligated
$174,544
Transaction type
Standard Grant
Period
07/01/2025 → 06/30/2027