A startup called ZzappMalaria hopes to shrink these numbers by targetting the mosquitoes that transmit the infection. The company’s tech focuses on larviciding, a method of treating the water bodies in which the insects breed. In conventional operations, fieldworkers can easily miss some of the vast quantities of water they need to larvicide. ZzappMalaria’s mobile app uses AI to make their work easier. [Read: How Polestar is using blockchain to increase transparency] The system uses a neural network to extract locations of houses from satellite images, pinpointing where the affected populations live. It then analyzes topography, radar data, and multispectral satellite imagery to create a heatmap of water body probabilities. The app then allocates areas to workers and guides them in the field. It also uploads the data to a dashboard so managers can monitor operations in real-time. ZzappMalaria CEO Arnon Houri-Yafin told TNW how it works in practice: He said that even inexperienced workers who use the app can find over 90% of the water that they need to treat to eliminate the disease: The company has worked with experts on the ground to develop the tech. Dr Abebe Asale from ICIPE (the International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology) said the solution has simplified the work: ZzappMalaria is currently conducting an operation in Ghana that covers over 200,000 people. It’s also collaborating on an upcoming larviciding task in Zanzibar involving drones. The company was recently picked as one of three finalists for the IBM Watson XPRIZE “AI for Good” challenge. IfZzappMalaria wins the $2.5 million grand prize, it will use the funds to extend its operations worldwide.
