Analyzing Weather Patterns and Mosquito Data to Predict West Nile Virus Outbreaks in Chicago

This paper describes the problem of predicting the occurrence of West Nile Virus (WNV) in mosquitoes in the city of Chicago. Each year, from late May to early October, mosquito traps are set up across the city, and the mosquitoes collected in the traps are tested for the presence of WNV. The goal of this is to predict where and when different races of mosquitoes will test positive for the WNV based on climate, area, and testing information. A more accurate prediction method could help the city allocate resources more effectively towards preventing transmission of this potentially dangerous infection. This paper includes a literature review of previous studies on the transmission of WNV and the vectorial capacity of mosquitoes. The paper also provides details on the data collection process, including the mosquito trapping, testing, and spray data, as well as the weather data.