PesTrapp mobile app: A trap setting application for real-time entomological field and laboratory study

Abstract

Zoonotic diseases such as malaria, dengue, Zika and chikungunya remain endemic in many countries. Setting and deploying trap to capture the host/vector species are fundamental to understand their density and distribution. Human effort to manage the trap data accurately and timely is an exhaustive endeavor when the study area expands and study period prolongs. One stop mobile app to manage and monitor the process of animal trapping, from field to laboratory level is still scarce. We developed a new mobile app named ″PesTrapp″ especially for medical entomologists to acquire the vector density index based on the mobile updates of ovitraps and species information in field and laboratory. This study aimed to highlight the mobile app′s development and design, describe the user experience and evaluate the preliminary user assessment of the mobile app. The mobile app was developed using mobile framework and database. User evaluation of the mobile app was based on the adjusted Mobile App Rating Scale and Standardized User Experience Percentile Rank Questionnaire. The process flows of system design and detailed screen layouts were described. The user experiences of using the app in a project to study Aedes surveillance in six study sites in Selangor, Malaysia were described. The overall mean user evaluation score of the mobile app was 4.0 (SD=0.6), which showed its acceptability by the users. The PesTrapp, a one-stop solution, is anticipated to improve the entomological surveillance work processes. This new mobile app can contribute as a tool in the vector control countermeasure strategies.