2009-2011 GEO Health SBA Tasks
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Transcript of 2009-2011 GEO Health SBA Tasks
2009-2011 GEO Health SBA Tasks
Pai-Yei Whung, Session Chair
12th Science and Technology Committee Meeting
Washington, DC
14 November 2009
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GEO Health Social Benefit Area
• GEO is working with the health community to improve the flow of user-friendly environmental data.
• Comprehensive data sets support prevention, early warning, research, health-care planning and delivery, and timely public alerts.
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GEO Health Tasks
• HE-09-01: Information Systems for Health• HE-09-02: Monitoring and Prediction Systems for
Health– HE-09-02a: Monitoring and Prediction of Aerosol Impacts on Health and
Environment– HE-09-02b: Air Quality Observations, Forecasting and Public Information– HE-09-02c: Global Monitoring Plan for Persistent Organic Pollutants– HE-09-02d: Global Monitoring Plan for Atmospheric Mercury
• HE-09-03: End-to-End Projects for Health– HE-09-03a: Implementation of Meningitis Decision-Support Tool– HE-09-03b: Implementation of a Malaria Early Warning System– HE-09-03c: Ecosystems, Biodiversity and Health: Decision Support Tools
and Research
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HE-09-01: Information Systems for HealthEmily Firth
Background
To improve predictive and decision support tools for human diseases with environmental drivers (e.g., malaria, meningitis, heat-related illness), more extensive, validated observation and epidemiological data are needed.
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HE-09-01: Information Systems for Health
Goals• Improve in-situ environmental and health data collection for the
utilization and validation of remotely sensed data.
• Explore how GEOSS will support the collection and distribution of information and meet the diverse needs of the health community.
• Support further development of a global public health information network database to improve health decision-making at the international, regional, country, and district levels.
• Interface WHO’s Global Health Observatory with other health and environmental systems and the GEO GEOSS Common Infrastructure (GCI).
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HE-09-01: Information Systems for Health
Science and Technology• WHO is developing the Global Health Observatory to help
health practitioners, scientists, and others find models, risk factors, and research outputs for specific diseases.
• “Health and Environment” module provides access to data from WHO and other organizations on diseases with environmental risk factors.
• Goal is to assess and validate decision support tools assess and validate those being developed, working toward standardized assessment tools.
7http://extranet.who.int/gho/
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HE-09-02: Monitoring and Prediction Systems for Health
Goals• Support the development of operational health-
related applications.• Connect established and emerging cross-cutting
Earth-observation systems to health monitoring and prediction systems.
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HE-09-02a. Monitoring and Prediction of Aerosol Impacts on Health and Environment
Leonard Barrie
NASA image by Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team, Goddard Space Flight Center.
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HE-09-02a. Monitoring and Prediction of Aerosol Impacts on Health and Environment
Background• Sand and dust aerosols can travel hundreds or thousands of
miles, carrying fine particles, spores, bacteria, viruses, and persistent organic pollutants.
• Health impacts can include respiratory and cardiovascular illness, eye infections, and in some regions, diseases such as meningitis and valley fever.
• An estimated 300,000 premature deaths worldwide may result from long-range transport of PM2.5 in sand and dust aerosols (Mauzerall, 2008).
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HE-09-02a. Monitoring and Prediction of Aerosol Impacts on Health and Environment
Goals• Improve sand and dust storm forecasting and observation
technology through coordinated international research and assessment.
• Integrate satellite and surface-based observations of aerosols, through a partnership of environmental agencies, meteorological services, satellite agencies, and others.
• Develop a community of forecast centers to forecast sand and dust storms on a regional basis, delivering standardized products to the health community and the public.
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HE-09-02a. Monitoring and Prediction of Aerosol Impacts on Health and Environment
Science and Technology• WMO has established the Sand and Dust Storm Warning
Advisory and Alert System (SDS-WAS), an international partnership of research and operational experts and users to help countries forecast and predict sand and dust storms and deliver information to users.
• Web-based portal (www.wmo.int/sdswas) for user access to regional research and forecast activities and services.
• Regional node for Asia and North Africa/Europe/ Middle East.
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HE-09-02a. Monitoring and Prediction of Aerosol Impacts on Health and Environment
Future Directions/Resource Needs• Funding support needed to bring together
researchers and users for regular scientific exchange, demonstration, and training. – Crucial for developing and implementing effective,
realistic modeling and forecasting tools.
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HE-09-02b. Air Quality Observations, Forecasting, and Public Information
Phil Dickerson
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HE-09-02b. Air Quality Observations, Forecasting, and Public Information
Goals• Enable worldwide sharing of air quality observations
and forecasts to help researchers and decision-makers.
• Provide the public with near real-time information and forecasts about air quality.
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HE-09-02b. Air Quality Observations, Forecasting, and Public Information
Science and Technology
• U.S. AIRNow system– Provides local air quality conditions and forecasts, based on
an index of five air pollutants.– 300 cities provide air quality forecasts.– 4,000 monitors provide real-time data.
• Redesigned as AIRNow-International– Multiple language support and worldwide mapping capability. – Uses open components that can be adopted by any state,
country, or province. – AIRNow International pilot partnership between the U.S. EPA
and Shanghai currently under way.
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Administrationof the
System
AIRNow
Data
Management
System
(DMS)
AIRNow
Information
ServiceAIRNow
MapperWeb
Service
AIRNow Database
DataFiles Web Services*
DataFiles*
Maps*Image layers*
Data Inputs Processing, QA, Reporting Outputs
*Outputs will conform to standards to promote
sharing and interoperability
= file
= web service
= module
= data/info transfer
AIRNow-International
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HE-09-02b. Air Quality Observations, Forecasting, and Public Information
AIRNow and GEOSS• AIRNow will use GEOSS observations and models
– Current: Partners produce forecasts– Future: need for operationally useful satellite AQ data– Air pollution does not respect political boundaries
• AIRNow will provide GEOSS with observations– AIRNow-International will be designed to make data
available to other providers, compliant with GEOSS standards
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HE-09-02b. Air Quality Observations, Forecasting, and Public Information
Future Directions/Resource Needs• Integrate satellite data (NASA, NOAA) with ground
observations • Develop AIRNow for Central America (better
monitoring infrastructure required).• Develop exceptional event services (for fires, etc.—
real-time particulate counts).
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HE-09-02c. Global Monitoring Plan for Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs)
Fatoumata Keita Ouane and Katarina Magulova
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HE-09-02c. Global Monitoring Plan for Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs)
Background• Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants adopted
baseline levels of POPs in ambient air and human milk (May 2009).
• Global monitoring plan needed to evaluate treaty’s effectiveness.– Identify changes in levels over time – Provide information on regional and global environmental
transport.
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HE-09-02c. Global Monitoring Plan for Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs)
Goals• Implement global monitoring plan to track changes in
POPs levels in humans and the environment.• Interlink existing and emerging systems for
monitoring air, water, ice caps, and human health.
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HE-09-02c. Global Monitoring Plan for Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs)
Science and Technology• Investigation of sampling and analytical methods for
perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS) and its salts (newly listed by the Stockholm Convention). – Analytical methodology for PFOS in human breast milk– Sampling and analysis method for air
• Five regional monitoring reports for 12 POPs in ambient air and human milk or blood, 1998-2008, available at www.pops.int
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HE-09-02c. Global Monitoring Plan for Persistent Organic Pollutants
Future Directions/Resource Needs
• Building database of information from disparate sources– Need to solve problem of data compatibility
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HE-09-02d. Global Monitoring Plan for Atmospheric Mercury
Nicola Pirrone
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HE-09-02d. Global Monitoring Plan for Atmospheric Mercury
Goals• Develop global observation system by harmonizing
SOPs for monitoring mercury.• Share data to better understand temporal and spatial
patterns of mercury transport and deposition.• Validate regional and global atmospheric mercury
models for use in evaluating policy options.
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HE-09-02d. Global Monitoring Plan for Atmospheric Mercury
Science and Technology• Global Atmospheric Mercury Monitoring Programme (GAMMP)
anticipated to begin in late 2010.– 25 to 40 mercury monitoring sites around the world.– Interoperable system to allow sharing of information: core of
a forecasting and alert system for health professionals.– Data from the GAMMP will be used to validate regional and
global atmospheric mercury models.
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HE-09-02d. Global Monitoring Plan for Atmospheric Mercury
Future Directions/Resource Needs• Additional support with monitoring data needed (e.g.,
Mauna Loa, Hawaii)
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HE-09-03a: End-to-End Projects for Health
Goals• Advance the application of observation, monitoring,
and forecasting systems to health decision-making processes.
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HE-09-03a. Implementation of a Meningitis Decision-Support System
David Rogers and Masami Onoda
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/eid/vol9no10/03-0182.htm
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HE-09-03a. Implementation of a Meningitis Decision-Support Tool
Background• About 350 million people at risk in sub-Saharan Africa• Devastating health, social, and economic consequences.• Dry, dusty conditions important contributing factor, though not
well understood.• Meningitis Environmental Risk Information Technologies
(MERIT) project coordinates ~30 organizations involved in research and solutions development.
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Goals• Improve forecasts of dust and other relevant environmental
conditions.– Help decision-makers identify districts where meningitis risk
is high– Help target new vaccine to those most at risk.
• Improve the understanding of the environmental factors in disease outbreaks.
• Build a model that takes into consideration all of the factors that influence meningitis risk.
HE-09-03a. Implementation of a Meningitis Decision-Support Tool
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HE-09-03a. Implementation of a Meningitis Decision-Support Tool
Science and Technology• Currently testing a decision-support tool in Niger. • A modeling framework based on data from January-
April 2009 meningitis season will be tested during 2010.
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HE-09-03a. Implementation of a Meningitis Decision-Support Tool
Future Directions/Resource Needs• Integrate environmental information (e.g., space
surveillance of dust) into the model.• Create a test bed to demonstrate new decision-
support tool.
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HE-09-03b. Implementation of a Malaria Early Warning System
George Jungbluth
Coordinating the use of satellite and climate observations in vector disease forecasting with local treatment,
mitigation, and response
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Background
• Malaria is a leading public health problem
– 40% of world’s population lives in malaria-prone areas
– Worldwide prevalence 250-350mln cases/year
– 1 mln deaths per year, with large majority in Africa, among young people in rural areas.
• Satellite observations of climate, moisture content, and other variables are now being used to predict where and when malaria outbreaks are likely to occur.
HE-09-03b. Implementation of a Malaria Early Warning System
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Goals• Further develop country-specific techniques to use satellite
data for early malaria detection and monitoring, paired with in situ observations and validation.
• Integrate vector risk products with local mitigation and prevention efforts.
• Integrate best practices in using satellite and other observations for malaria risk prediction, develop pilot projects using these practices paired with training and capacity building.
HE-09-03b. Implementation of a Malaria Early Warning System
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Science and Technology• NOAA STAR – Malaria Risk Map Derived from VHI
– Using Vegetation Health Index (VHI) indices from NOAA POES AVHRR instrument.
– Produces weekly malaria risk maps of African continent.– Some estimates validated in parts of Africa, India,
Bangladesh, South America.
HE-09-03b. Implementation of a Malaria Early Warning System
39http://www.star.nesdis.noaa.gov/smcd/emb/vci/VH/vh_currentImage.php
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Science and Technology• CNES Malaria Rural and Urban Risk Mapping
– Location: Senegal, Burkina Faso, Paraguay, Argentina.– Goal: understanding mechanism for malaria vector outbreak,
identifying contributing factors, and early detection of triggering environmental conditions.
– Develop zone-dynamic vector risk maps.– Using SPOT5 images (10m and 2.5m res), TRMM data,
ZPOM for malaria vectors.
HE-09-03b. Implementation of a Malaria Early Warning System
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Science and Technology• GISTDA Malaria Risk on Thailand Frontier
– Location: Tak Province, Thai-Myanmar border.– Goal: use satellite imagery, spatial analysis and time
series analysis to determine malaria distribution patterns.
– Measurements: NDVI, temperature, relative humidity, rainfall, land cover, using LANDSAT 5TM data.
– 2004-08 data predicted malaria morbidity rate and distribution through 2009 season.
HE-09-03b. Implementation of a Malaria Early Warning System
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Connections with Other Activities
• GEO Community of Health– Coordination of best practices, pilot projects
• WHO– Information portal and dissemination– Standards for use of EO and climate data in disease vector
prediction
HE-09-03b. Implementation of a Malaria Early Warning System
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HE-09-03c. Ecosystems, Biodiversity and Health: Decision-Support Tools and Research
Gary Foley
This Sub-task uses a Unique Approach : Interdisciplinary “Community of Practice”
• Implement research activities that foster the development and application of tools (e.g. indicators, models) to inform decision-making and help reduce the emergence & spread of infectious and zoonotic diseases.
• Through an interdisciplinary team approach which also includes end-users (e.g. decision-makers), characterize the dynamics and mechanisms underlying the relationship between social stressors, changes in biodiversity and ecosystem composition, and disease transmission to animal hosts and to humans.
An Interdisciplinary Approach to Biodiversity & Human Health
The Public& PublicOfficials
Research & Technical Developments?
• Greece-Laboratory of Clinical Bacteriology, Parasitology, Zoonoses and Geographical Medicine, University of Crete
• Italy-ISPRA• Portugal-CIGPT, University of the Azores - Research Centre on
Geographical Information and Land Planning • US-EPA/CDC/Smithsonian
Greece: Regional, geographical and epidemiological study for the detection and monitoring of zoonoses with the use of GIS.
Italy-ISPRA: In order to improve the life quality and health of cities inhabitants, it is important to create the basis over which to make urban planning. To contribute to the Ecosystems, Biodiversity and Health sub-task, research activity on urban green mapping (by neural network classifier applied to high resolution imagery) is conduced for a new approach on urban cover. The study involves the Italian cities having more than 150,000 inhabitants.
Portugal: CIGPT wishes to contribute with its know-how on Environmental Planning and Small Islands issues to support USA on the interdisciplinarity development and implementation of this sub-task, focusing its action in Small Islands' Ecosystems, Biodiversity and Health.
Summary Table of EPA’s Exploratory Research Projects
Characterizing Dilution Effect Mechanisms (Inst of Ecosystem Studies)
Plant – Animal – Mosquito Diversity and Human Perception (Rutgers)
Avian Diversity, Bioclimatic Factors, and Anthropogenic Change (UCLA)
Lyme disease Risk Map (Yale, CDC, NASA Ames, EPA)
Monitoring Mosquito Species Diversity Across a Landscape Gradient
(EPA, Smithsonian)
Geographic Focus/Scale of Research
Forest plots across Duchess County, NY
Townships across New Jersey
National (USA) National (USA)Barro Colorado Island/Panama Canal Watershed (Panama); Khao Chong,
Thailand??
Disease System of Study
Lyme disease West Nile encephalitis
West Nile encephalitisWest Nile virus Lyme disease Mosquito-borne diseases
Multi-Disciplinary Team Makeup
ecology, population biology, epidemiology
ecology, parasitology, ornithology, social science, environmental education, environmental managers
ecology, virology, population genetics, remote sensing
epidemiology, ecology, remote sensing, environmental managers
ecology, epidemiology, entomology, biosystematics
Strengths of the Research Study
“Dilution effect” hypothesis will be tested on a well-studied ecological-epidemiological systemMuch preliminary data are available and extensive study infrastructure already in placePlanned interdisciplinary workshop to identify risk reduction strategies is directed to homeowners – connecting science to local residents
Attempting to quantify structural diversity, not just animal species richnessHuman behavioral component is innovative, attempting to link human attitudes of wetlands to disease riskUse of Bayesian methods is novel State Department of Environmental Protection (end-user) is involved in study design, execution, and implementation
Focus is on the role of bird reservoir hosts in disease prevalenceCutting edge technology to be used to evaluate virus from bird feathers and migration patternsMigratory connectivity is an important feature of studyUse of earth observations on climate, land cover, and moisture for integration into the proposed distribution model
Building on an existing CDC-Yale spatial modeling project to test new hypotheses linking tick density and infection rates with new data on meteorology, mammalian and bird diversity Use of NASA Terrestrial Observation and Prediction System (TOPS) to deliver datasets from a variety of remotely sensed and in situ sourcesCDC and EPA are collaborators, helping to ensure that research results are communicated to the public and made relevant to decisionmakers
Addresses new questions about the relationship between landscape change, mosquito species diversity and pathogen diversityProvides new material for SI’s mosquito barcoding initiative, and enhanced identification tools, in turn, could aid the monitoring workPartners include Gorgas Memorial Lab (entomological field work), Smithsonian (providing field sites in and outside of forest plot), EPA (decisionmaking relevance)
Expected Research Outputs Quantitative model of disease risk
Risk reduction guidelines produced by an interdisciplinary workshop
Understanding of how wetland plant structure can be used to estimate animal host and vector diversity relevant to healthUnderstanding ofhuman factors affecting behavior in and around urban wetlands which affect landmanagement and exposure to disease risk
Distribution models which estimate infection patterns in migratory and resident birds and in humans, as well as the effects of anthropogenic changes on distribution and prevalence
Surface map of human risk for infection from Lyme disease throughout the range of the primary vector. The map could be routinely updated using meteorological and remotely sensed data on landscape conditions.
New knowledge on the effects of landscape change on the distribution of mosquitoes and the ecological mechanisms that drive changeNew information can be added to SI’s planned “Web Mapping Development Services” initiative to visualize global mosquito species richness and distribution
Relevance to Decisionmaking
Inform development of integrated pest management (IPM) strategies for Lyme diseaseInform land use and development for human health protection, particularly environmentally-based strategies to reduce riskInform valuation of disease regulation as one ecosystem service that benefits people
Inform IPM strategies and biological control measuresInform wetland management and restoration to benefit healthResults from public surveys can inform state and federal agency efforts at outreach
Inform disease emergence monitoring and bird conservation effortsInform land management and use to benefit health and the environment Inform IPM strategies
Risk map can inform intervention measures for state and local health departments and preventive recommendations to the publicInform land use management and development as part of IPM strategies
Inform land use management and development as part of IPM strategies Inform forest management, particularly how changes to plant community structure can affect vectors of public health importance and communities living nearby
US Research & Technical Highlights
• EO & Field Data >> Lyme Disease Model >> Map and Predict Risks
• Host/vector dynamics for Lyme Disease• Risk Management for Lyme Disease
– Land Use Planning/Integrated Pest Mgmt– Effectiveness of Repellents/Pesticides– Green Infrastructure
• West Nile Virus, Wetlands & Human Attitudes• Local CoP for Lyme Disease in NE USA
US Research & Technical Highlights
• EO & Field Data >> Lyme Disease Model >> Map and Predict Risks
• Host/vector dynamics for Lyme Disease• Risk Management for Lyme Disease
– Land Use Planning/Integrated Pest Mgmt– Effectiveness of Repellents/Pesticides– Green Infrastructure
• West Nile Virus, Wetlands & Human Attitudes• Local CoP for Lyme Disease in NE USA
Leveraging Opportunities?
• National & Regional Ecological Observatory Networks (e.g. NSF-NEON)
• Smithsonian’s Global Earth Observatories • National and Regional Research Grants Programs
which are willing to solicit proposals from interdisciplinary teams to address causality and prevention of emerging and re-emerging diseases
Secretariat: invite as participants in 2009?
• Wildlife Trust (U.S.) • Wildlife Conservation Society (U.S.) • Center for Health and the Global Environment, Harvard University (U.S.) • John Snow Institute (U.S.) • World Wildlife Fund International • Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (Germany) • Conservation Through Public Health (Uganda) • London School of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (U.K.) • U.S. Geological Survey (U.S.)
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Discussion
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Discussion Questions
• Are there additional science and technology achievements to highlight?
• Are there any overarching patterns in science and technology needs for the health tasks—resources that could benefit many of the projects?
• Does the STC see any obvious science and technology enhancements for any of the projects?
• Is there a way the STC can facilitate the integration of science and technology into the health tasks?
• How can the STC/GEO help ensure that the tools being developed meet the needs of people “on the ground”?
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Thank You