Project Introduction

GeoPest is designed to support geospatial monitoring and prediction of agricultural pest activity. The current version focuses on Mormon cricket density estimates and related environmental factors across selected western U.S. states.

Using GeoPest

Use Pest Information to review pest descriptions and reference images. In WebGIS Map, select the pest type, year, state, environmental factor, and boundary layer to compare density estimates with environmental context. Click a climate division to view sampling number, average density, maximum density, and the subregion time series. Use Pest Dynamics to animate density patterns across years and selected states.

Data And Tools

Estimated pest density layers hosted in ArcGIS Online.
Environmental layers including precipitation, soil moisture, temperature, days 20-35 °C, NDVI, elevation, slope, aspect, and TRI.
Climate division boundaries for subregion-level summaries.
Sampling number, average density, and maximum density summaries with interactive time-series charts.
Playback tools for visualizing year-to-year pest density dynamics.

Acknowledgement

This project uses survey-derived pest information, environmental datasets, and ArcGIS Online map services to support research, visualization, and decision-making. Funding provided by USDA-Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) and USDA-Agricultural Research Service (ARS).

CU Boulder

USDA

Publicly available boundary, environmental, and topographic datasets were used to develop this application. The Mormon cricket survey data used for model development were provided, in part, through a Material Transfer Research Agreement with USDA APHIS and remain the sole property of USDA APHIS. The density estimates and predictive maps presented herein are model-derived products intended for research and educational purposes and do not constitute a release of the underlying survey records. Basemap layers are provided through publicly available web mapping services.

Developed by Di Wu, Department of Geography, University of Colorado Boulder.

Version 1.0 | Updated June 2026

For questions or comments, please contact: diwu8132@colorado.edu.

Pest Information

Select Pest Type

Mormon Cricket

Scientific Name
Primary Concern
Current Map Availability