Another Success Story: Animal Health Board

VectorNet & GIS: Protecting New Zealand’s Export Economy

The New Zealand economy is more dependent on agricultural exports than any other developed country with dairy, beef and deer products a significant proportion. The greatest threat to NZ’s continued success in this market is Bovine Tuberculosis. Since the 1970’s, New Zealand has spent in excess of $1 billion to help manage Bovine Tb.

But now, thanks to VectorNet, a GIS-based (geographic information system) programme developed and managed by the Animal Health Board (AHB), New Zealand has a powerful new tool to reduce the threat of Bovine Tb to cattle and deer herds and to minimise the risks associated with this potentially devastating disease.

Current spending on control of Bovine Tb is in excess of $80 million per annum, $50 million from the private sector and $30 million from government. VectorNet has already had a significant impact on controlling Bovine Tb vectors by the removal of duplicate systems, the standardisation and centralisation of information and processes and improved decision-making. It is estimated that VectorNet will save in the order of $30 million in its first decade alone.

At the heart of AHB’s VectorNet is ArcGIS software developed by market-leader Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI) and provided by ESRI’s New Zealand partner, Eagle Technology Group.

VectorNet was recently named winner of the prestigious and highly competitive Supreme Award for ‘Overall Excellence in the Use of Information and Computer Technology (ICT)’ as well as the Award for ‘Innovative Use of ICT’ at New Zealand’s Computerworld Excellence Awards 2008.

The challenge

The AHB was established in 1999 to manage the implementation of the Biosecurity (National Bovine Tuberculosis Pest Management Strategy) Order 1998. The Strategy was put in place to protect NZ dairy, beef and deer exports and reduce the cost of Bovine Tb to farmers. Key activities undertaken by the AHB are Tb testing of all farmed cattle and deer, slaughter of animals found or suspected of having Tb and control of Tb vectors, the wild animal populations that carry bovine Tb and infect farmed cattle and deer, which predominately are possums.

The Tb vector control programme, a key part of the Strategy, comprises over 7,000 activities each year with 8.4 million hectares under sustained possum control. “Ensuring the funds are spent wisely each year is a complicated task,” says Alison Barrett, Manager Business Strategy and Systems at AHB, “requiring balancing national and regional priorities, funding availability and incorporating research findings to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the programme.”

“We developed VectorNet,” says Barrett, “to improve the control and visibility of the vector management processes and reduce business risk. VectorNet is a tool for designing, planning, contracting and managing all the activities involved in the bovine Tb vector control programme on a three year rolling basis. Data collected in the system is used to help make decisions on future operations and refine best practices.”

Geography is the common link

With some 8.4 million hectares under sustained Bovine Tb vector control, the spatial (ie geographic) element of managing the programme is critical. “This is where GIS has been so important,” says Barrett. “All of our non-spatial data is linked to a specific geographic area which is represented by a shape file. The shape file can be a point, line or polygon. It’s the geography that ties the information together and provides a common reference point.”

Ensuring that the shape files are accurate, complete and reliable is a key process within VectorNet. “Any time there is any change to any of the areas that we manage we must update the shape file,” explains Barrett. “The entire shape file is reloaded even if there is just a single change. A critical part of the shape file validation process is ensuring that all the attributes (ie the information associated with the shape file) are complete. This process ensures that the information is valid and that there is no duplication. Once the shapefiles have been validated, they are loaded into the spatial database.”

“VectorNet can calculate areas of possum habitat, using land cover data, to automatically determine the number of traps required in an area to meet the population monitoring requirements,” continues Barrett. “The geospatial system interacts closely with the non-spatial components through tight integration via web services. This brings the data to life and allows it to be shared with non-technical people. In the past, we were dealing with various bits of information in non-standard formats. Now, with VectorNet, we have the information we need at our fingertips.”

The Benefits

While VectorNet has been a significant undertaking; the expected NPV (net present value) for VectorNet is $1.9 million with a payback of 3.3 years. “There are certainly significant cost savings from using VectorNet but the benefits are much wider. By making the link between geospatial and textual data, significant benefits are gained. These include:

• Increased visibility of decisions
• Improved data consistency, accuracy and timeliness
• Improved access to information

Even, consistent control over possum habitat areas is critical to break the Tb cycle in possum populations. Previously this relied heavily on local knowledge of bush areas and maps. VectorNet provides a consistent national approach to identify possum habitat using satellite images of land cover and aerial photos as a base. It enables users to capture local knowledge, improve the quality of information and share it with others.

VectorNet provides a robust and flexible system to improve the design and implementation of the vector programme. It enforces consistency and accuracy in the capture of information and ensures high-quality, timely information is available for analysis and reporting. VectorNet enables users to better manage their work by providing a transparent and consistent communication tool.

The system has provided direct benefits from reducing administration and streamlining processes. There are also indirect benefits from improved programme design and management.”

There are a number of intangibles benefits. “Information is improved,” says Barrett, “because vector management contracts and the resulting information is captured as close to the source as possible in a consistent and timely manner. And once the data is in the system, information is easily searchable, reportable and accessible. And VectorNet provides managers with a user-friendly tool to help them carry out their work in a more efficient and effective manner.”

The basic building blocks in VectorNet can be utilised by other organisations that face similar challenges. “While VectorNet is set up specifically for the Tb vector programme,” concludes Barrett, “it can be used to manage complementary possum or pest control initiatives. Because VectorNet provides consistent datasets and processes, it can be used to help reduce costs and share resources across organisations. The model we have developed is robust and could be easily modified for similar applications both here in NZ and overseas.”