Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MSc)

Department

Geography & Environmental Studies

Program Name/Specialization

Geomatics

Faculty/School

Faculty of Arts

First Advisor

Colin Robertson

Advisor Role

Supervisor

Second Advisor

Derek Robinson

Advisor Role

Committee Member

Abstract

Japanese Encephalitis is a mosquito-borne disease and is the leading cause of viral encephalitis in Asia. In many Asian countries, the geographical distribution of JE is dependent on a variety of human-environment interactions that can be conceptualized as a complex social-ecological system. The JE transmission cycle is influenced by a few primary human-landscape factors; the abundance and the spatial configuration of rice paddy fields (which provide habitat for the vector), the distribution of pig farms (which position the virus' amplifying host), and the location of a susceptible human population. Our models integrate population dynamics, landscape characteristics, and weather variables that influence the spatiotemporal risk of contracting the JE virus. At a geographically small scale, we highlight regions within the geographic distribution of the disease that are of high-risk in the near future. An individual-level model was also developed to assess disease risk at a larger geographic scale. Model output reproduced the spatial and temporal dynamics of Japanese Surveillance data obtained from the World Health Organization. Such a model can be used to assess various scenarios that examine the spatial epidemiology of Japanese Encephalitis.

Convocation Year

2016

Convocation Season

Spring

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