Mobile application as a weapon against locust invasion

The end of 2019 was marked in unusually humid weather for these latitudes in East Africa. As a result, whole hordes of desert locusts appeared, which represented a real danger to the flora of Kenya. It is this country that accounts for the epicenter of the locust invasion. According to experts, the peak of the invasion will fall in mid-July. If the situation is left to chance, then the consequences can be the most terrifying, because in a day a swarm of locusts can cover up to 150 kilometers, eating everything in its path.

Kenya decided to confront the locusts. To do this, organized groups of pest controllers treating the foci with chemicals. The blows are applied only to those places where the largest concentration of locust individuals is recorded. At the same time, there is a problem in assessing their number – it is completely impossible to determine where more locusts are by eye. As a result, it was decided to use a mobile application that successfully solves this problem.

One of the activists Christopher Achilo uses the E-Locust program. He takes pictures of locust clusters that enter the data center. Each image is carefully analyzed. It is from them that the locust concentration corresponding to the focus of its distribution is determined. This approach allows you to fight with insects more efficiently and send scouts and agricultural aircraft to those places where it is most needed.