BetaBetaDataset
To provide geospatial estimates of environmental suitability for onchocerciasis across endemic areas of Africa and document the epidemiological data sources used to develop the estimates.
The estimates were developed to support understanding of the geographic distribution and potential transmission suitability of onchocerciasis and to inform elimination planning.
The dataset includes GeoTIFF raster files containing pixel-level estimates of environmental suitability for onchocerciasis presence at 5 × 5 km resolution. Separate raster files provide mean, lower, and upper estimates of environmental suitability. It also includes a Data Release Information Sheet, code files used to generate the estimates, and an XLSX file documenting the epidemiological data sources used as model inputs. The input sources include endemicity mapping surveys, surveillance conducted during elimination programmes, and other onchocerciasis data sources covering multiple African countries and historical periods.
The estimates were generated using a boosted regression tree (BRT) analysis trained on reported onchocerciasis presence data from endemicity mapping surveys, elimination-program surveillance, and other sources. The model was trained using data from 1974–2015, while covariate values from 2013 were used to produce the final estimates. The resulting environmental suitability estimates were generated at a 5 × 5 km spatial resolution, with mean, lower, and upper estimates provided as GeoTIFF rasters.