Sistema de informação geográfica e detecção remota aplicados a adequabilidade de habitat do mosquito vector da malária: Anophele Gambiae

Abstract

Malaria is a disease transmitted by the bite of a mosquito and is one of the main causes of death in Africa. According to MISAU (2000) malaria is one of the main public health problems in Mozambique, it is a serious disease that affects all Mozambican provinces in an overwhelming way. Mozambique is one of the African countries where the disease causes the greatest number of victims (Caracciolo, 2005). This research analyzes the distribution of Anophele Gambiae malaria vector in the city of Maputo, with the objective of identifying suitable locations for its habitat. To achieve this objective was made the relationship between the environmental conditions that facilitate the development process of anopheles. In this sense, we proceeded to obtain data that were important in the potential distribution of this vector species. Based on a Landsat 8 satellite image, necessary variables were extracted to obtain the results, such variables refer to: surface temperature (TS), index of normalized difference vegetation (NDVI), soil moisture index (IHS) and data provided by CENACARTA concerning land use and land cover (UCT). It was necessary to make corrections to these images in order to correct the distortions that the images raw content when purchased, these corrections were made with the help of Envi 5.1 and ArcGIS 10.2. As malaria in Mozambique is endemic in the rainy season and high temperatures, three images referring to that season (months of February, March and April). All data used were integrated and analyzed using the Envi 5.1 Software and obtaining maps of areas suitable for the habitat of Anophele Gambiae was made with the help of ArcGis 10.2 Software. The results were obtained by weighing the variables extracted from the Landsat 8 satellite and the data referring to land use and land cover, by determining weights using the AHP method, proposed by Saaty.