General Objective: Determine the incidence of scale insects in dry forest areas and/or conservation units on the Ecuadorian coast, through an approach that integrates the use of high spatial resolution images, biological and meteorological variables with artificial intelligence techniques. This study will provide a better understanding of the impact of the distribution and evolution of the mealybug in relation to its forest environment, necessary for the implementation of appropriate management strategies for the ecosystem.
Specific objectives:
- Implement low-cost micrometeorological sensor networks to monitor environmental conditions. It is planned to have networks of 30 sensor nodes that will be located in clusters in the sampling plots and in a testing area.
- Characterize the distribution of the mealybug in the dry forest ecosystem and conservation units through in situ sampling, to detail its incidence, species present, damage to the vegetation, state of the plants, interactions with insects and environmental factors.
- Carry out a spectral characterization of the vegetation in the sampling plots to evaluate the health and vigor of the plants, as well as their response to mealybug infestation using vegetation indices from aerial images. Monitoring is planned to be carried out in 6 sampling plots, located in the provinces of Guayas and Manabí.
- Develop a prediction model for the incidence of scale insects in conservation and protection areas using artificial intelligence and computer vision techniques. Different machine learning models will be evaluated to select the model that achieves the highest accuracy.
Participating Institutions:
ESPOL, UPS, UTM
Project Director Héctor Villegas
Participants:
- Maria Fernanda Calderon Vega
- Henry Antonio Pacheco Gil
- Miguel Andrés Realpe
- Jonathan Salvador Paillacho Corredores
- Paolo Michael Piedrahita Piedrahita
- Julián Alfredo Pérez CorreaC
- Christopher Ruben Reyes Lopez
- Alberto Santiago Ramírez Farfán
- Hector Bryan Villegas Barragán
Awarded budget: $40,000.00
Project Status: Awarded
