I am currently using GIS to assess whether there is a significant difference between the spatial distributions of Babesia, Borrelia, and Anaplasma in Ixodes scapularis ticks. We are hypothesizing that Babesia will be different than the other two. Borrelia and Anaplasma are supposedly more evenly-distributed, while Babesia is still progressing westward. If we do find that our hypothesis is supported with GIS, then the use of remote sensing would come into play. We are looking for potential differences in land-cover as well as physical barriers, such as streams. Some of this will be done in GIS, but using NDVI to assess vegetation may also be important to assess differences in environmental factors. I will be working closely with Durland Fish and John Brownstein.
I am just starting this project (as of Monday) because my original thesis project ended up, unfortunately, being scrapped at the last minute. So, I am just starting on this and will know more as we get more information from the GIS segment of the project.