Description

Predicting and monitoring disease outbreaks and environmental health events is vitally important to public health and safety. NASA Earth Science resources can benefit decision makers looking to apply remote sensing data within the health community.

This introductory training led by NASA's Applied Remote Sensing Training Program (ARSET) provided an overview of environmental parameters available from NASA Earth Science that are useful for monitoring and predicting health for decision support. There are many different data sources from different satellite missions, sensors, and models, and these training sessions outlined their features, strengths, and limitations. It also covered easily-accessible NASA data, web-based tools, analysis, visualization, and examples of data usage.

Prerequisites

This introductory course requires no previous remote sensing experience, but knowledge of health data and environmental data will be important.

Objectives

Target Audience

This course is aimed at health researchers, health policy makers, ministries of health staff, and the general public.

Course Format

• Five 1.5-hour parts

Sessions

Part 1: Fundamentals of Remote Sensing for Health Applications

Thursday, June 2, 2016

An overview of the fundamentals of remote sensing; satellites and sensors; advantages and disadvantages of remote sensing; satellite data processing levels; and going from observations to applications. 

ARSET Instructor

Pawan Gupta

Guest Instructor 

Maury Estes (The University of Alabama, Huntsville)

Materials

• Part 1 Presentation Slides (PDF, 8.7 MB)

Materiales en Español

• Diapositivas de la Presentación de la Parte 1 (PDF, 12.3 MB)

Part 2: How NASA is Using Remotely Sensed Data to Study Health Issues

Thursday, June 9, 2016

A brief overview of NASA satellite missions, the NASA Applied Sciences health focus area and its objectives, satellites that collect remotely sensed data for health applications, and examples of health projects. 

Guest Instructor

John Haynes (NASA HQ)

Materials

• Part 2 Presentation Slides (PDF, 3.6 MB)

Materiales en Español

• Diapositivas de la Presentación de la Parte 2 (PDF, 14.3 MB)

Part 3: Using Remote Sensing Data for Public Health: CDC-NASA Collaboration

Thursday, June 16, 2016

An overview of the national environmental public health tracking program and network, the CDC-NASA partnership, new initiatives, a portal demonstration of the CDC tracking network, aerial photography, the 2010 Haiti Earthquake, CDC climate-ready states and cities initiative, and vulnerability assessments. 

Guest Instructors

Ambrish Vaidyanathan and Arie Manangan (U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

Materials

• Part 3 Presentation Slides: Applications of Remote Sensing Data for the National Environmental Public Health Tracking Program (PDF, 5.2 MB)
• Part 3 Presentation Slides: The Bird's Eye View of Health (PDF, 10.5 MB)

Materiales en Español

• Diapositivas de la Presentación de la Parte 3: Aplicaciones de los datos de teledetección para el Programa Nacional de Seguimiento de la Salud Pública Ambiental (PDF, 6.9 MB)
• Diapositivas de la Presentación de la Parte 3: Una visión general de la salud desde una perspectiva panorámica (PDF, 9.9 MB)

Part 4: Using Satellite Data for the Prediction and Detection of Harmful Algal Bloom Outbreaks

Thursday, June 23, 2016

An overview of harmful algal blooms (HABs), why they're a problem, satellites and cyano HABs, algorithms, and applications. 

Guest Instructor

Richard Stumpf (NOAA National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science)

Materials

• Part 4 Presentation Slides (PDF, 23.1 MB)

Materiales en Español

• Diapositivas de la Presentación de la Parte 4 (PDF, 26.6 MB)

Part 5: Mapping and Forecasting Mosquito-Borne Disease Risk

Thursday, June 30, 2016

An overview of mosquito ecology and mosquito-borne diseases, remotely sensed data for monitoring mosquito-borne disease transmission, applications to support disease control and elimination, and a training summary. 

Guest Instructor

Michael C. Wimberly (South Dakota State University)

Materials

• Part 5 Presentation Slides (PDF, 5.8 MB)

Materiales en Español

• Diapositivas de la Presentación de la Parte 5 (PDF, 22.1 MB)