Abstract

Applying GIS Tools on a Swine Disease Regional Control Program
Track: Agriculture
Authors: Enrique Mondaca-Fernandez

Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) is the most costly disease for the swine industry worldwide, with losses calculated at US$560,000,000/year in the U.S. alone. Currently, pork producers and swine practitioners in Cuming County, Nebraska are conducting a voluntary program of regional control of PRRS, applying GIS tools from the ArcGIS 10.0 software.
In this project, ArcGIS has been used to visualize pig sites' location and spatial relationship among neighboring sites, as well as PRRS status and stage of production. Also, applying the buffering tool, it has been possible to identify pigs farms within areas around specific swine farms -sow sites- where to apply strategies of disease control; so far, 3 different areas of 5-mile radius have been identified, containing 3-15 pig sites each. This way, ArcGIS 10.0 has demonstrated to be a powerful tool, not only for visualization, but also for organization in projects of animal diseases' control.