Methodological architecture of territorial intelligence for the delimitation of potential epidemiological corridors of the New World screwworm Cochliomyia hominivorax in central Mexico

Abstract

Objective: To develop a methodological architecture of territorial intelligence to integrate agroclimatic, epidemiological and territorial information, with the purpose of delimiting potential epidemiological corridors of the cattle screwworm Cochliomyia hominivorax in the Region of the Volcanoes, State of Mexico. Methodology: An observational and retrospective design was used based on three sources of information: official outbreak records from SENASICA and WOAH, data from the GORRIÓN Agroclimatic Network and territorial connectivity variables. The architecture integrated four complementary components: the GORRIÓN Borer Risk Index, the Epidemiological Proximity Index, the Territorial Connectivity Index and the Integrated Territorial Risk, combined through a multi-criteria analysis scheme within a geographic information system. Results: The integration of the variables allowed the identification of potential epidemiological corridors, understood as spatial hypotheses in which favorable agroclimatic conditions, epidemiological pressure and high territorial connectivity converge. The identified corridors do not represent confirmed dispersal routes, but rather priority areas to strengthen preventive surveillance, guide animal health monitoring, and optimize resource allocation. Conclusion: The proposed architecture constitutes a reproducible methodological basis for integrating multiple sources of information in territorial intelligence systems applied to animal health surveillance. It can also contribute to the preventive identification of risk areas and be transferred, with the corresponding adaptations, to the study of other emerging animal diseases.