Skip to main content
Field Notes

Practice Notes on Running a Vector Program Well

Written for people who have to operate a program, not for people evaluating one. Every article assumes real constraints: limited crews, imperfect records, and a season that does not wait.

Library Index
Articles10
Categories07
AudienceOPERATORS
Product PitchMINIMAL
  • Field Practice
  • Program Design
  • Governance
  • Surveillance
  • Documentation
  • Equipment
  • Technology
Latest

Most recent field note

Field Practice2026-04-14 · 8 min read

Creating Better Field Checklists for Vector Programs

A checklist is a data specification that has to survive being used in the rain by someone in a hurry.

Read the article
Takeaways
  • Derive every field from a required output.
  • Constrain values where comparison matters; keep notes for the rest.
  • Give every field a defined "could not observe" answer.
Library

All field notes

Ordered by publication date. Each article stands alone and links to the ones it depends on.

Program DesignNO. 02
9 min read2026-04-07

Common Gaps in Existing Vector Control Programs

The gaps are rarely exotic. They are the same handful of structural issues, and most of them are invisible from inside the program.

Open note
GovernanceNO. 03
8 min read2026-03-31

Human Review in AI-Assisted Environmental Operations

Human review is the part of an AI-assisted workflow most often described and least often designed.

Open note
Program DesignNO. 04
9 min read2026-03-24

Planning a Seasonal Mosquito Surveillance Program

Most surveillance seasons are designed backwards, starting from equipment and routes rather than from the questions the season is meant to answer.

Open note
SurveillanceNO. 05
8 min read2026-03-17

From Trap Counts to Operational Priorities

A count is an observation about a device, not a verdict about a place. Prioritization depends on treating it that way.

Open note
DocumentationNO. 06
8 min read2026-03-10

Why Field Documentation Matters in Vector Management

Documentation is treated as administrative overhead until the season a program needs to explain a decision and finds it cannot.

Open note
EquipmentNO. 07
9 min read2026-03-03

How to Select Mosquito Monitoring Equipment

Purchase price is the least informative number in an equipment decision. What matters is whether the program can keep the equipment running correctly for years.

Open note
Program DesignNO. 08
8 min read2026-02-24

Building a Consistent Multi-Site Surveillance Program

Consistency across locations is an organizational problem before it is a technical one, and it is usually solved by narrowing scope rather than adding process.

Open note
TechnologyNO. 09
9 min read2026-02-17

What AI Can and Cannot Do in Vector Control

The useful applications are narrower and less dramatic than the marketing, and considerably more valuable than the skepticism suggests.

Open note
SurveillanceNO. 10
8 min read2026-02-10

How Mosquito Surveillance Data Becomes an Operational Plan

Collection is the easy part. The difficulty is the translation step between a season of records and a plan someone can actually execute.

Open note
Scope Notice

Website information is provided for general informational purposes and does not constitute medical, public-health, regulatory, environmental, scientific, or legal advice. Services and technology are intended to support qualified human decision-making. Results depend on local conditions, program implementation, available data, and other factors.

Engagement RequestAPPT ONLY

Have a question these notes do not answer?

Most of these articles started as a question from a program manager. If yours is not covered, it is worth a conversation.