{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,5]],"date-time":"2026-02-05T08:14:52Z","timestamp":1770279292409,"version":"3.49.0"},"reference-count":45,"publisher":"Public Library of Science (PLoS)","issue":"2","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,4]],"date-time":"2026-02-04T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1770163200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), SORA Technology"},{"name":"Japan Science and Technology Agency, SORA Technology","award":["JPMJTT23J4"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["JPMJTT23J4"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":["www.plosone.org"],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["PLoS One"],"abstract":"<jats:sec id=\"sec001\">\n                    <jats:title>Background<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Malaria remains a major public health burden in sub-Saharan Africa. In Ghana, in particular, larval source management (LSM) is increasingly recognized as a complementary vector control strategy. This study evaluates a field-adapted LSM approach that integrates drone-based mapping and artificial intelligence (AI)\u2013driven site prioritization to enhance operational efficiency and reduce resource use.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec id=\"sec002\">\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>The intervention replaces conventional manual scouting with aerial mapping conducted one day prior to larvicide application. An AI model analyzes geospatial and morphological features of water bodies to identify high-risk larval habitats. Site coordinates are transmitted to field teams via mobile devices for targeted treatment. A comparative field trial was conducted in eight administrative sub-districts within Ghana\u2019s Eastern Region. Four sub-districts implemented the drone- and AI-assisted approach, while four served as controls using standard LSM procedures. A mixed-methods evaluation was employed, incorporating quantitative metrics and qualitative field insights.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec id=\"sec003\">\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Drone-assisted mapping led to more than a threefold increase in the number of identified breeding sites. AI-based targeting reduced larvicide consumption by over 60%. The combined technologies lowered worker requirements by approximately 50%. Despite these reductions, malaria case trends in the intervention sub-districts remained comparable to those in the control sub-districts. The study\u2019s limitations include its restriction to the dry season and below-average rainfall, which may have influenced mosquito abundance and transmission.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec id=\"sec004\">\n                    <jats:title>Conclusions<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Drone- and AI-assisted LSM demonstrated substantial resource savings without compromising vector control outcomes. Further longitudinal evaluation across transmission seasons is warranted to assess sustained effectiveness and inform national policy.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0340690","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,4]],"date-time":"2026-02-04T18:21:33Z","timestamp":1770229293000},"page":"e0340690","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1371\/journal.pone.corrections_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Field evaluation of drone and AI assisted larval source management in Ghana"],"prefix":"10.1371","volume":"21","author":[{"given":"Godfred A.","family":"Bokpin","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Francis A.","family":"Adzei","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Samuel","family":"Dadzie","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Masaki","family":"Umeda","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0003-3654-3058","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Juhoe","family":"Kim","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"340","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,4]]},"reference":[{"key":"pone.0340690.ref001","article-title":"Integrated vector management for malaria control","author":"JC Beier","year":"2008","journal-title":"Malar J"},{"key":"pone.0340690.ref002","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"353","DOI":"10.1186\/1475-2875-10-353","article-title":"Larval source management for malaria control in Africa: myths and reality","volume":"10","author":"U Fillinger","year":"2011","journal-title":"Malar J"},{"issue":"8","key":"pone.0340690.ref003","article-title":"Mosquito larval source management for controlling malaria","volume":"2013","author":"LS Tusting","year":"2013","journal-title":"Cochrane Database Syst Rev"},{"key":"pone.0340690.ref004","unstructured":"Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 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