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/

http://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.

http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/

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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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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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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.

http://www.wmo.int/sdswas

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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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

http://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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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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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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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

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.


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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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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.


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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.


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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.


39http://www.star.nesdis.noaa.gov/smcd/emb/vci/VH/vh_currentImage.php

http://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.


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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.


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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


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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

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

2009-2011 GEO Health SBA Tasks

Documents

Transcript of 2009-2011 GEO Health SBA Tasks