Australian JEV Transmission Risk Model Variables

Comprising metadata for spatial predictor variables used in geospatial models of Japanese encephalitis virus transmission risk in Australia. The models incorporate time-varying habitat suitability for suspected mosquito vectors and ardeid hosts, using month-scaled occurrence and covariate data from 2000 to 2023. The analysis was developed to support the public health response to the 2021–2022 outbreak.

Use Cases

• Analyze the relationship between ardeid host presence-absence data and predicted transmission suitability surfaces.
• Validate the penalised logistic regression model outputs for mosquito vector habitat suitability against detected JEV infection locations.
• Compare the combined habitat suitability surface predictions with existing models, particularly regarding the delimiting effect of the Great Dividing Range.
• Assess the temporal dynamics of vector and host habitat predictions for the outbreak peak in February 2022.

Strengths

• Models are based on a significantly larger vector dataset than previous studies, as noted in the description.
• Data covers a 23-year time range from 2000 to 2023, providing temporal context.
• The dataset supports a novel method of rescaling host and vector outputs into a combined suitability surface.

Limitations

• The dataset is very small at 9.5 KB, indicating it contains metadata or summary variables rather than raw observational data.
• The specific number of rows, columns, and sample data are unavailable, limiting assessment of the dataset's granularity.
• The models predicted lower suitability along the eastern seaboard, which may require validation against future outbreak data.

Provenance

Source

Compiled from eBird, BirdLife Australia, mosquito surveillance records, literature, and biodiversity databases.

Collection Method

Habitat suitability estimated using gradient-boosted regression tree models for hosts and penalised logistic regression for vectors.

Time Range

2000–2023

Freshness

Last updated on 2026-03-20.

Geography

Australia, with analysis spanning over 3000 km south of previous JEV occurrences.