Drones for Research: 2017 Challenge 1. Mission 1.1. Introduction Mosquitoes are the most common disease vector, these insects can transmit with ease a virus or parasite from a human (or animal) to another. When a mosquito bites a contaminated agent, it extracts blood which may carry a virus than can be transmitted to other living being by a bite. Their transmission abilities are evident considering they can fly and are difficult to sight. (NPIC, 2016) Currently, mosquitoes cause near 1 million deaths every year, and this is why they are considered as the “most deadly animal”. Deaths associated to these insects are due to several diseases like: Malaria, Dengue, Zika, Chinkungunya, West Nile, and more. The majority of deaths reported due to mosquitoes are in Africa and Latin America, where the tropical weather doesn’t represent a restriction to their reproduction, and therefore they are active all year round. Also, mosquitoes are commonly found in stagnant water which is still common in developing countries. The combination of these conditions increases the danger of disease transmission in these countries, but it is important to mention that mosquitoes are found in other climates, at a lower scale, but still the danger is the same. (How Stuff Works, 2017) Drones have become an efficient and effective tool to find mosquito densities in specific areas. With the advancement of technology drones are becoming more and more accessible to the end user and more and more they are used in projects. Currently, drones are used to: transport packages, take pictures, do research and inspections. In these fields, the area covered is relatively large and a little amount of resources is needed (equipment, time, etc.). These reasons are why people working in health are using drones to study mosquitos. (Microdrones, 2014)
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Drones for Research: 2017 Challenge 1. Mission
1.1. Introduction
Mosquitoes are the most common disease vector, these insects can transmit with ease a virus or parasite from a human (or animal) to another. When a mosquito bites a contaminated agent, it extracts
blood which may carry a virus than can be transmitted to other living being by a bite. Their transmission abilities are evident considering they can fly and are difficult to sight. (NPIC, 2016)
Currently, mosquitoes cause near 1 million deaths every year, and this is why they are considered as
the “most deadly animal”. Deaths associated to these insects are due to several diseases like: Malaria, Dengue, Zika, Chinkungunya, West Nile, and more. The majority of deaths reported due to
mosquitoes are in Africa and Latin America, where the tropical weather doesn’t represent a restriction to their reproduction, and therefore they are active all year round. Also, mosquitoes are commonly
found in stagnant water which is still common in developing countries. The combination of these conditions increases the danger of disease transmission in these countries, but it is important to
mention that mosquitoes are found in other climates, at a lower scale, but still the danger is the same. (How Stuff Works, 2017)
Drones have become an efficient and effective tool to find mosquito densities in specific areas. With
the advancement of technology drones are becoming more and more accessible to the end user and more and more they are used in projects. Currently, drones are used to: transport packages, take
pictures, do research and inspections. In these fields, the area covered is relatively large and a little amount of resources is needed (equipment, time, etc.). These reasons are why people working in
health are using drones to study mosquitos. (Microdrones, 2014)
1.2. Competition Description
Challenge: teams have to develop creative ways to identify areas with high density of mosquitoes by using drones.
The competition will be divided into two stages:
- The first stage will be “System Development” and will have one deliverable. From this stage 3
teams will be selected and will advance to the next stage. - The second, and final stage, will be “System Demonstration”. Teams will deliver their proposal
and make a presentation to the public. From this stage the 1st, 2nd and 3rd place of the
competition will be defined.
1.3. Requirements
1.3.1. Use a drone to estimate the density of mosquitoes or to identify evidence the presence of mosquitoes in a specified area.
1.3.3. Validate the data that was obtained with the presented method.
2. Teams
2.1. Size of teams
2.1.1 The teams will be formed by a maximum of 5 members
2.2. Requirements of team members
2.2.1. The teams must be formed by undergraduate university students and may include one graduate level student to complete the team.
2.2.2. Each team must name a team leader who will be the main contact for communications.
2.3. Advisors
2.3.1. Teams may include a volunteer advisor.
2.3.2. The advisor shall not participate in the development of ideas nor in the definition of the design. 2.3.3. The advisor may guide the team through the process of developing the concept proposed by the students.
3. Deliverables
3.1. Technical Reports 3.1.1. In the first deliverable of the competition the teams must present a Poster (in PDF format) that
depicts the function of the system they plan to develop. The poster must comply with the following:
- Maximum size: 914 x 1524 mm (36 x 60 in) - It must include the Team name
- It must show the scope of the system: area to cover and capability of acquiring data (i.e. 1 square km every 2 hours)
- It must include an overall function diagram - It must indicate the principal differentiating factor of the system
- It must include a list of the major components and their origin (i.e. Sensor- Original development, Drone- 3rd party development… )
3.1.2. The second deliverable will only be presented by the teams that classify to the second stage
of the competition. This deliverable consists of a Presentation type document (in PDF format) that must comply with the following:
- Presentation maximum size: 15 slides (excluding drawings)
- It must include the Team name - It must include a description of the drone used
- It must show the scope of the system: area to cover and capability of acquiring data (i.e. 1 square km every 2 hours)
- It must include a detailed function diagram
- It must indicate all differentiating factors of the system - It must include a detailed list of the components and their origin (i.e. Camera of 20MP-
Developed by... ) - It must include evidence of validation of the data acquired with the system
- It must include a plan for implementation of the technology at a large scale - It must include a literature reference section
- It must include a link to a video that shows the system working (3 min maximum) - It must include drawings of the drone and the assembled parts
4. Demonstration schedule, rules and requirements
Table 1. Demonstration schedule
Activity Duration
Competition inauguration 15 min
Presentation of technology by each team 45 min (15 min by
each team)
Technology demonstration
60 min (20 min by each team for
demonstration. Each team will have 20
min for preparation before
demonstration)
Results presentation by each team 15 min (5 min by
each team)
Award ceremony 15 min
* The event will have an estimated duration of 2.5 hours
4.1. The teams will show their system in Universidad del Valle de Guatemala, Central Campus.
4.2. Teams shall fly the Drone within the range of sight of the drone pilot and the judges. 4.3. The system shall acquire information that must be analyzed and verified within a maximum time
of one hour.
5. Schedule
5.1. Registration
Before June 15th teams have to send an email to [email protected] with the following
information: 1. Team name
2. University name
3. Country
4. Team Leader
4.1. Name
4.2. E-mail
4.3. Phone number
4.4. Undergraduate or graduate degree
4.5. Undergraduate year
5. Rest of the team
5.1. Name
5.2. E-mail
5.3. Undergraduate or graduate degree
5.4. Undergraduate year
6. Advisor
6.1. Name
6.2. E-mail
Registration of teams has no cost.
5.2. Dates for deliverables Deliverable #1 Poster: July 15th . Poster must be sent to email [email protected]
Teams selected for the second stage will be notified on July 22th.
Deliverable #2 Presentation (only for teams selected for second stage of the competition): August 18th. Presentation must be sent to email [email protected]
5.3. Date of final event August 24th, at UVG Central Campus, during the “Things from other point of view: Drones for
research and academic applications” conference.
6. Evaluation
6.1. Criteria of evaluation
6.1.1. Originality: that the system is developed specifically for this project. 6.1.2. Functionality: how the system developed complies with the requirements of performance
specified by each team. 6.1.3. Replication ease of the system: how easy it is to take the system and replicate it at large scale.
6.1.4. Potential impact of system: what is the potential impact of the system in public health.
6.2. Judges The judges panel will be established by an expert in each of the following areas:
- Biology (mosquitoes) - Drones
- Innovation - Engineering
7. Prizes
The 3 teams selected for the second stage of the competition will receive:
• Admission without cost for all the members of the team to the “Things from other point of view: Drones
for research and academic applications” conference.
• A Certificate from RTI and UVG.
• A travel stipend for teams located outside Guatemala City, of US$500 per team in Central America
and US$1000 per teams from countries outside Central America.
8. Policies - All members of the team must include a copy of the University ID or a letter to validate their
attendance at a university in any location of the world. - Each member of the team must present a letter from their advisor, if they have one, stating
that he or she complied with the requirements presented in section 2.3. of these Rules. - Teams must include literature references and give the appropriate credit to each source.
- Teams must present a letter in which they indicate that the method presented is developed by themselves.
- Travel stipend for teams traveling from outside Guatemala City will be available for some teams selected by the organizing committee.
9. Questions Teams can send questions about the competition to the following e-mail:
References
National Pesticide Information Center (NPIC). 2016. Enfermedades Transmitidas por Mosquitos.
Retrieved from: http://npic.orst.edu/pest/mosquito/diseases.es.html [03-04-2017] How Stuff Works. 2017. What Animals Kill the Most People in the Wild? Retrieved from:
http://adventure.howstuffworks.com/dangerous-animals1.htm [03-04-2017]
Microdrones. 2014. Unmanned Applied Solutions: Areas of Application. Retrieved from: https://www.microdrones.com/en/applications/ [03-04-2017]
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