The project

GeoVin is a free mobile application that helps guide citizen scientists in identifying possible vinchucas that they find that may pose an epidemiological risk. Based on the data that is recorded from locations of the different species of vinchucas, collaborative maps of the findings of all users are generated.

The information entry process is carried out by taking photographs and reporting the location of the found insect using the location services of the mobile device. The data is centralized directly to a server, and data validation is performed remotely by triatomine specialists using the photos sent. Citizen scientists receive additional information about the shipment they made and at the same time online maps are generated with the locations of each record, which can be freely and openly accessed.

GeoVin was generated in our country to allow, through the collaboration of the citizens, to elaborate a database of the distribution of the different species of vinchucas. The final objective of the application is to provide interactive, educational, recreational and free tools to non-specialized users, which allow obtaining geographic data throughout the country, promoting awareness of health problems related to Chagas disease.

All the information used for the development of the “GeoVin” App was obtained from scientific publications, data provided by colleagues and data from the Triatomine Laboratory of the Center for Parasitological and Vector Studies (CEPAVE).

In its second stage, the application will also feature an educational game, aimed mainly at children, to inform and raise awareness about the problem of Chagas (both in the formal educational field and in other educational contexts, homes and communities across the country).
An artificial intelligence-based automatic recognition tool is also being developed to assist with field recognition of disease vector insects, directly using mobile devices.