Researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Columbia University, and Michigan State University have developed the TickApp, a mobile smartphone application for Android and iOS to help you to learn how to protect yourself, your family and your pets from ticks.
With this app, you join a team of citizen scientists helping researchers better understand ticks and tick-borne disease risks. It’s useful to share your tick data from anywhere in the continental United States, but the current research focus is the Midwest and the Northeast regions, where tick diseases are rapidly increasing.
After an initial five to seven minute survey to gather information about your environment, you will be invited to tell researchers about your daily activities and tick encounters (or lack thereof) during the tick season in the “Daily Log” feature of the app. When you start making logs, you have the option of receiving daily reminders to help you remember to check for ticks.
When you encounter a tick, the app has a “Report-A-Tick” function so you can share information about where the tick was found, on whom it was found, and what kind of tick you think it is. You also have the ability to send in a photo of the tick to receive an expert opinion on what tick species it is.
The Tick App provides information about how to identify different kinds of ticks, good ways to prevent tick exposure, and facts about ticks and the diseases they transmit. The Tick Activity function also provides information on the local activity level of blacklegged ticks throughout the year.
The TickApp is available for free for Android via the Google Play and iOS via the App Store. Online access and additional information is available on the app website. Questions about the TickApp can be sent to tickapp@wisc.edu.