In this paper the authors combined RS and GIS techniques to assess the environmental factors influencing Sin Nombre virus (SNV) contraction in deer mice, the primary rodent host. 119 field sites sampled in the Walker River Basin in western Nevada and east-central California in 1995, 1996 and 1998 were used. Spatial patterns and statistical relationships between site characteristics and infection rates were analyzed to retroactively classify rodent infection status and estimate prediction accuracy. Results can be applied to identify landscape characteristics with greater human risk from SNV, the agent associated with Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome.

The presentation can be accessed here and a detailed review of the paper can be accessed here.

Bibliography

Boone, J. D., McGwire, K. C., Otteson, E. W., DeBaca, R. S., Kuhn, E. A., Villard, P….St. Jeor, S. C. (2000). Remote Sensing and Geographic Information Systems: Charting Sin Nombre Virus Infections in Deer Mice. Emerging Infectious Diseases, 6(3), 248-258. https://dx.doi.org/10.3201/eid0603.000304.