Tick ecology data and risk maps, 2007-2010 - RELU Assessing and communicating animal disease risks for countryside users

This dataset consists of tick sampling and microclimate data from Exmoor, Richmond and New Forest study sites; as well as ARCGIS risk maps that model tick abundance driven by climate surfaces and host abundance. Tick sampling data (91 files, each representing a day of sampling) indicate tick abundance (distinguishing larvae, nymphs, adult males and adult females), vegetation height, soil moisture, temperature and relative humidity. Static risk map files indicate modeled tick abundance: 251 landcover files for the three sites, as well as 36 ArcView map files. The study is part of the NERC Rural Economy and Land Use (RELU) programme. Many people take pleasure from activities in forests and wild lands in the UK and others are being encouraged to participate. Unfortunately, there are risks and one of the most insidious is the possibility (albeit tiny) of acquiring a disease from wild animals; for example, ticks can be vectors of the bacterial infection leading to Lyme Disease. Both diagnosis and treatment can be problematic so prevention of acquiring such disease is highly desirable. Surprisingly little is known about how best to warn countryside users about the potential for disease without scaring them away or spoiling their enjoyment. Answering such questions was the goal of this project, and required the integration of a diverse set of scientific skills, and an understanding of the views of those who manage countryside, those who have contracted zoonotic diseases and those who access the land. This project combined knowledge from three strands of work, namely risk assessment, risk perception and communication, and scenario analysis. The study sites were selected to provide a range of environmental conditions and countryside use. Peri-urban parkland, accessible lowland forest and heath and remote upland forest were chosen as represented by Richmond Park on the fringe of Greater London, the New Forest in Southern England, and Exmoor in South West England. The following additional data from this same research project are available at the UK Data Archive under study number 6892 (see online resources): Lyme disease risk perception data resulting from tick imagery vignette experiments, Lyme disease patient interviews and surveys, residents and countryside staff focus groups, forest manager interviews, and multiple scoring procedures of animal social representation; as well as Lyme and tick risk communication data resulting from interviews with organisations and content analysis of risk warning information leaflets, Further documentation for this study may be found through the RELU Knowledge Portal and the project's ESRC funding award web page (see online resources).

本数据集汇聚了来自埃克莫尔、里士满和新森林研究站的蜱虫采样和微气候数据；同时包含由气候表面和宿主丰度驱动的蜱虫密度所构建的 ARCGIS 风险地图。蜱虫采样数据（共 91 个文件，每个文件代表一天的采样结果）揭示了蜱虫密度（区分幼虫、若虫、雄成虫和雌成虫）、植被高度、土壤湿度、温度和相对湿度。静态风险地图文件则表示模型化后的蜱虫密度：针对三个研究站点的 251 个土地覆盖文件，以及 36 个 ArcView 地图文件。该研究是英国环境、食品和农村事务部（NERC）乡村经济与土地利用（RELU）项目的一部分。众多人士在英国的森林和野外地带享受活动之乐，同时也有更多人被鼓励参与其中。遗憾的是，野外活动的风险不容忽视，其中最为隐秘的风险之一是感染野生动物传播的疾病的可能性，尽管这种可能性微乎其微；例如，蜱虫可作为导致莱姆病的细菌感染的载体。莱姆病的诊断和治疗均存在困难，因此预防感染此类疾病显得尤为迫切。令人惊讶的是，关于如何在不过度惊吓使用者或破坏其乐趣的前提下，向乡村使用者预警疾病潜力的知识知之甚少。解答此类问题是本项目的目标，这要求整合各类科学技能，并理解那些管理乡村、感染了动物源性疾病以及利用土地者的观点。本项目结合了风险评估、风险感知与沟通以及情景分析三个领域的工作成果。研究站点的选择旨在提供多样的环境条件和乡村利用类型。城市周边公园、易于进入的低地森林和荒野以及偏远的山区森林被选中，分别以伦敦外围的里士满公园、英格兰南部的新森林以及英格兰西南部的埃克莫尔为代表。来自同一研究项目的以下附加数据可在英国数据档案馆（UK Data Archive）下编号 6892 处获得（参见在线资源）：由蜱虫图像片段实验、莱姆病患者访谈和调查、居民和乡村工作人员焦点小组、森林管理者访谈以及动物社会表征的多次评分程序得出的莱姆病风险感知数据；以及由组织访谈和风险警告信息传单的内容分析得出的莱姆病和蜱虫风险沟通数据。关于本研究的进一步文档可通过 RELU 知识门户和项目 ESRC 资助奖项网页获取（参见在线资源）。