2020 Health Security & Pandemics
Moskeet (TrakitNow, Inc)
Real-time, integrated vector and disease management platform for prevention and control of mosquito-borne diseases
One-line solution summary:
Real-time & integrated disease management platform for prevention and control of mosquito-borne diseases
Pitch your solution.
Mosquito-borne diseases like Malaria, Dengue, Chikungunya, Zika, etc are posing a great challenge globally to the quality of life and leading to millions of deaths, from 700 million disease occurrences annually. These diseases create a strain on the public health system and local economies, with an overall cost of $100 Billion per year. The traditional approach used for the last 100 years is not based on a real-time data-driven analytical approach Moskeet is an integrated data platform that provides real-time analytics on mosquito surveillance & control, disease transmission, outbreaks, and hot spots using IoT and AI technologies. Moskeet integrates all the stakeholders which include governments, citizens, pest management & pesticide companies, hospitals, pharmaceuticals, NGOs, and research agencies. A single disease occurrence in a family in developing countries can push them into poverty and disrupt the kids' education. Moskeet will improve the quality of life by reducing the disease burden.
Film your elevator pitch.
What specific problem are you solving?
Mosquito-borne diseases like Malaria, Dengue, Chikungunya, Zika, etc are posing a great challenge globally to the quality of life and leading to millions of deaths, from 700 million disease occurrences annually. These diseases create a strain on the public health system and local economies, with an overall cost of $100 Billion per year. The traditional approach used for the last 100 years is not based on a real-time data-driven analytical approach Moskeet is an integrated data platform that provides real-time analytics on mosquito surveillance & control, disease transmission, outbreaks, and hot spots using IoT and AI technologies. Moskeet integrates all the stakeholders which include governments, citizens, pest management & pesticide companies, hospitals, pharmaceuticals, NGOs, and research agencies. A single disease occurrence in a family in developing countries can push them into poverty and disrupt the kids' education. Moskeet will improve the quality of life by reducing the disease burden.
What is your solution?
Our solution is a Smart Mosquito Diseases Control System that uses state-of-the-art IoT and AI technology to operate autonomously and provides real-time mosquito population data both by location and species. We believe that you have to understand the problem before you solve it, and our network does just that. There are four key components to the solution - Sensor network, Social network, Real-time analytics, and Predictive analytics. The Network of sensors( traps) across cities identify where problems exist, the efficacy of control methods, and when to reapply. Our sensors use novel artificial intelligence AI algorithms to classify mosquitoes. The application provides density heat maps, conditions affecting breeding, health information and vector control history. The platform is designed to capture data across several areas like epidemiology, entomology, socioeconomic conditions, location and weather to help in the effective management of diseases.
Who does your solution serve, and in what ways will the solution impact their lives?
Approximately 700 million mosquito-borne disease infections are reported globally per year with several million deaths. Most of the people infected are in developing countries across Asia, Africa, and South America, and belong to lower-income groups. Average monthly income for a daily labor family is around $100 per month and one mosquito-borne infection in the family can push entire family into extreme poverty and limit basic necessities like food, education, etc. Governments and NGOs spend billions of dollars annually to control the disease without making reasonable progress. The current approach doesn’t use a data-based approach and integrated pest management principles. There is no real-time and objective system to analyze the impact of the programs. Moskeet uses real-time data and analytics to disrupt this space by increasing the operational efficiencies across stakeholders. Moskeet helps to bring transparency to the operations. Resources can be deployed to areas based on the disease burden and outbreak analysis. Virology feature helps to understand the real-time transmission of disease and provide a strong indication of hotspots or outbreaks. This early warning can help to save lives. Moskeet integrates government agencies, citizens, community workers, volunteers, NGOs, pesticide companies, pest management companies, primary health care centers, and pharma companies.
Explain how the problem, your solution, and your solution’s target population relate to the Challenge.
Mosquito borne disease problem is real for the target population and it creates devastating impact for their family finances, and in some cases leading to death. I had an opportunity to spend time in the target population areas and these families are not in a position to prevent themselves from mosquito bites as they stay in very small houses with open windows and sewers. This problem requires collaboration between several stakeholders, on a platform that provides data driven insights. Additionally, crowd sourcing of breeding sites and disease occurrence data is possible as smart phone usage is increasing.
What is your solution’s stage of development?
Growth: An organization with an established product, service, or business model rolled out in one or, ideally, several communities, which is poised for further growthWho is the primary delegate for your solution?
Satish Cherukumalli
In what city, town, or region is your solution team headquartered?
Columbia, SC, USAIf you have additional video content that explains your solution, provide a YouTube or Vimeo link here:
Which of the following categories best describes your solution?
A new application of an existing technologyDescribe what makes your solution innovative.
Prevention and control of mosquito-borne diseases depend on effective mosquito control measures. Today, public authorities are fumigating without any information base regarding density and type of mosquito species in the target areas. Current methods of manually gathering mosquito density information are labor-intensive and resulting data can be inconsistent. Extensive use of pesticides harms the environment. We lack platforms to predict the outbreak of diseases.
Moskeet solution is a Smart Mosquito Density Monitoring network that uses state-of-the-art IoT and AI technology to operate autonomously and provides real-time mosquito population data both by location and species. We believe that you have to understand the problem before you solve it, and our network does just that. There are four key components to the solution - Sensor network, Social network, Real-time analytics, and Predictive analytics. The Network of sensors(traps) across cities identify where problems exist, the efficacy of control methods, and when to reapply. Our sensors use novel AI algorithms to classify mosquitoes. The application provides density heat maps, conditions affecting breeding, health information and vector control history. The platform is designed to capture data across several areas like epidemiology, entomology, socioeconomic conditions, location and weather to help in effective management of diseases.
A brief note on the competition. Biogents developed a smart trap which at this point gives only mosquito count. Mosquito count is not meaningful without providing species as only certain species carry diseases. Moreover ,Biogents trap is very expensive and is not scalable for large scale deployment to see full benefits.
Describe the core technology that powers your solution.
Moskeet solution is to deploy the Smart Mosquito Monitoring Network of sensors across cities to identify where problems exist, the efficacy of control methods, and when to reapply. Our sensors use novel artificial intelligence AI algorithms to classify mosquitoes using wingbeat, circadian rhythm, location, and 20 other parameters. The design and operation of our smart mosquito sensor is unique. Nevertheless, it uses some common features. It makes use of well-published procedures described in the scientific entomological journals for classifying mosquitoes based on their wingbeat frequency. The classification relies on a number of factors other parameters in addition to the wing beat. The exact formulation of the algorithm is part of the proprietary property of TrakItNow.
We are also currently working on virology feature. This helps to determine the percentage of mosquitoes carrying virus or pathogens in real time, which helps in accurately determining hot spots or outbreaks.
We have two patents submitted on our device ( one approved and one pending approval). Our teams collaborated with Florida Medical Entomology Lab (University of Florida) which is a premier research institute in entomology.
The data is sent to the System’s analytic web platform where it is combined with previously collected historical data, weather conditions, and previous spray or control applications. The combined data provides a clear picture of the need for control, the effectiveness of the control method and when a re-application is required.
Provide evidence that this technology works.
Moskeet is currently deployed across 5 cities in India. Below is the YouTube link from a local channel covering Moskeet deployment in the city Vijayawada, AP, India.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xh6naG5V_qE&t=18s
Below link gives you a brief description of the smart trap
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YLSwKNcSLbE
Other media coverage based on past deployments,Hyderabad City, India
Below are the grants that we got after a thorough technical and commercial selection process,
1) Grant from American Mosquito Control Association
2) Grant from India Health Fund for a program to eradicate Malaria in India. Selection committee included experts from Global Fund for AIDS, TB & Malaria and Malaria No More. This grant is in final disbursement stage.
3) Grant from National Institute of Health, USA for virology feature. This grant is in final disbursement stage.
Please select the technologies currently used in your solution:
Select the key characteristics of your target population.
Which of the UN Sustainable Development Goals does your solution address?
In which countries do you currently operate?
In which countries will you be operating within the next year?
How many people does your solution currently serve? How many will it serve in one year? In five years?
Number of people serving now
We deployed in 5 cities in India serving approximately 1 Million population through the government agencies who are our customers. Actual populations in these cities is over 9 Million, but we deployed Moskeet in certain areas of these cities.
Number of people we will be serving in one year
Our plan is to expand to 15 cities across India, South East Asia and USA covering 10 Million in one year. We established partners in Philippines and Singapore so far. Plan is to cover other countries in South East Asia through our Singapore partners
Number of people we will serving in 5 years
Our plan is to expand to 250 cities/distrcits across India, Asia, Africa, South America and North America covering 200 Million people. TarkitNow is currently engaging with TATA Trust, Global Fund for AIDS, TB & Malaria and Malaria No More.
What are your goals within the next year and within the next five years?
Our goal is to impact 10 Million people in the next year and 200 Million people in the next 5 years.
TrakitNow onboarded partners in Singapore and Philippines so far. We will focus on India, South East Asia and USA in year one. In year 2, we will start expansion into Africa and South America. Our US Corporate office will lead the expansion efforts in The Americas. Indian subsidiary will lead expansion efforts in Asia and Africa.
Our approach for expansion is by onboarding partners. We prepared a criteria list for selecting partners. We will also partner with global agencies like Global Fund for AIDS, TB & Malaria, Malaria No More, World Health Organization, Gates Foundation and related NGOs.
Target market segments are Vector Control Agencies (Government), Projects sponsored by NGOs, Commercial campuses and residential communities.
Exploring additional partnerships with MNC pesticide companies. Leading company approached us for collaboration and they are interested in data. Plan is to monetize data which will help these companies to understand their market better.
What type of organization is your solution team?
For-profit, including B-Corp or similar modelsSolution Team
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Satish Cherukumalli Co-Founder & CEO, TrakitNow, Inc
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Solution Name:
Moskeet (TrakitNow, Inc)