GIS tools
GIS tools and approaches to food safety at the pre-harvest level
Improve GIS tools and approaches to reduce produce microbial food safety hazard introduction from agricultural water, environmental and animal sources at the pre-harvest level.
The goal is to develop models that allow for the prediction of times and locations with an increased risk of microbial hazards on-farm in different US growing regions. Models will be built using a combination of pathogen and indicator data, remotely sensed weather and adjacent land-use buffer data, and on-site physiochemical data. Outputs from model predictions will assist with region-specific guidance for industry on reducing microbial hazards on-farm from water and soil; as well as, educational programming for extension educators (targeted efforts).
Examples of previous work that illustrates applications of GIS tools and prediction models:
Weller, D. L., Love, T. M. T., Belias, A., & Wiedmann, M. (2020). Predictive Models May Complement or Provide an Alternative to Existing Strategies for Assessing the Enteric Pathogen Contamination Status of Northeastern Streams Used to Provide Water for Produce Production [Original Research]. Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems, 4(151). https://doi.org/10.3389/fsufs.2020.561517
Weller, D., Belias, A., Green, H., Roof, S., & Wiedmann, M. (2020). Landscape, Water Quality, and Weather Factors Associated With an Increased Likelihood of Foodborne Pathogen Contamination of New York Streams Used to Source Water for Produce Production [Original Research]. Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems, 3(124). https://doi.org/10.3389/fsufs.2019.00124
Weller, D., Shiwakoti, S., Bergholz, P., Grohn, Y., Wiedmann, M., & Strawn, L. K. (2016). Validation of a Previously Developed Geospatial Model That Predicts the Prevalence of Listeria monocytogenes in New York State Produce Fields. Applied and Environmental Microbiology, 82(3), 797-807. https://doi.org/10.1128/aem.03088-15
Other project relevant literature:
Broman, K. W., & Woo, K. H. (2018). Data Organization in Spreadsheets. The American Statistician, 72(1), 2-10. https://doi.org/10.1080/00031305.2017.1375989
Wickham, H. (2014). Tidy Data. 2014, 59(10), 23. https://doi.org/10.18637/jss.v059.i10
Contact
Associate Professor, Department of Food Science & Technology at Virginia Tech.
Dr. Strawn holds both a research (50%) and extension (50%) appointment, both focus on reducing foodborne pathogen contamination throughout the produce supply chain. To pair both appointments, Dr. Strawn applies research/extension objectives that include both field (e.g., sampling commercial packinghouses or harvesters) and laboratory (e.g., benchtop, growth chamber). Discovery from these projects is disseminated directly to stakeholders through numerous extension activities. Her program empowers produce growers, packers, and other stakeholders in the supply chain to make risk-based decisions for their operations by providing them with science-based information and practical solutions to limit contamination events.
Email: laurakstrawn@vt.edu
Professor of Food Science at University of Florida.
Email: mddanyluk@ufl.edu