An Intregated System for the Epidemiological Application of Earth Observation Tec

描述（由申请人提供）：卫星遥感技术在几乎整个地球表面产生一致的、可重复的环境测量。由此产生的信息库在人类健康研究中有许多潜在的应用，包括绘制传染病的地理分布，监测气候变异和土地利用变化对健康的影响，以及预测未来的健康风险。虽然有许多人呼吁在卫生科学领域扩大地球观测技术的使用，但很少有实际操作系统对公共卫生产生明显影响的例子。遥感专家通常对如何将其产品应用于人类健康研究知之甚少，而且大多数卫生科学家和公共卫生专业人员缺乏获取、处理和分析卫星遥感数据所需的时间、技术技能和计算工具。为了更有效地弥合遥感和公共卫生领域之间的差距，我们将开发一个基于网络的决策支持系统，该系统将为卫生科学家和从业人员提供一套环境测量方法，用于监测和预测蚊媒传染病。具体目标是：(1)开发一个自动处理卫星遥感数据的系统，以生成可提供疾病暴发早期预警的环境测量值；(2)利用人类疾病病例回顾性数据集分析这些遥感产品的预测能力；(3)开发一个基于网络的决策支持系统，以促进公共卫生从业人员对遥感产品的可视化和分析。该系统将整合各种当前可用的数据集，包括地表温度、降水、植被指数和土地覆盖图。它还将包括一种新的实际蒸散量（ETa）测量方法，这将增强我们表征影响蚊子行为和繁殖栖息地的近地表湿度的能力。该系统将通过两个案例研究来实施和测试：一个侧重于埃塞俄比亚阿姆哈拉地区州的疟疾，另一个侧重于北部大平原地区的西尼罗河病毒。在这两个案例研究中，我们将积极与政府机构和非政府组织的公共卫生从业人员合作，就决策支持工具的可用性和所提供的环境信息的价值获得反馈。我们期望该项目提供的信息将对在两个案例研究领域内减轻蚊媒传染病负担的努力作出重大贡献，并且该系统还将成为今后在流行病学和公共卫生领域应用地球观测技术的努力的典范。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Satellite remote sensing technologies produce consistent, repeatable environmental measurements across nearly the entire surface of the Earth. The resulting storehouse of information has many potential applications in the study of human health, including mapping the geographic distributions of infectious diseases, monitoring the health impacts of climatic variability and land use change, and forecasting future health risks. Although there have been many calls for expanding the use of earth observation technologies in the health sciences, there are few examples of operational systems with a demonstrated impact on public health. Remote sensing experts typically have little understanding of how their products can be applied in the study of human health, and most health scientists and public health professionals lack the time, technical skills, and computational tools required to acquire, process, and analyze satellite remote sensing data. To more effectively bridge the gap between the remote sensing and public health fields, we will develop a web-based decision support system that will provide health scientists and practitioners with access to a suite of environmental measurements for use in the surveillance and forecasting of mosquito-borne infectious diseases. Specific aims are to: (1) Develop a system for automated processing of satellite remote sensing data to generate environmental measurements that can provide early warning of disease outbreaks, (2) Analyze the predictive capabilities of these remote sensing products using retrospective datasets of human disease cases, and (3) Develop a web-based decision support system to facilitate visualization and analysis of remote sensing products by public health practitioners. This system will integrate a variety of currently-available datasets including land surface temperature, precipitation, vegetation indices, and land cover maps. It will also include a novel measurement of actual evapotranspiration (ETa) that will enhance our ability to characterize near-surface moisture that affects mosquito behavior and breeding habitats. The system will be implemented and tested via two cases studies: one focused on Malaria in the Amhara regional state of Ethiopia, and the other focused on West Nile virus in the Northern Great Plains. In both of these case studies, we will actively partner with public health practitioners from government agencies and non-governmental organizations to gain feedback on the usability of the decision support tools and the value of the environmental information provided. We expect that the information provided by the project will make a significant contribution toward efforts to reduce the burden of mosquito-borne infectious disease within the two case study areas, and that the system will also serve as a model for future efforts to apply earth observation technologies in the fields of epidemiology and public health. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: Mosquito-borne infectious diseases are a major public health concern in many parts of the world. Malaria is a major health problem in Ethiopia, where more than 5 million cases occur annually. West Nile virus is the predominant mosquito-borne disease in the United States, with a particularly high incidence of human disease in the Northern Great Plains. The development of disease surveillance and early-warning systems can help reduce the burden of these diseases by identifying high-risk areas and allowing public health practitioners to prioritize mosquito control and other disease-prevention efforts.