THE CURRENT AND POTENTIAL ROLES OF SATELLITE REMOTE SENSING IN THE CAMPAIGN AGAINST MALARIA

摘要

Malaria and other vector borne diseases continue to claim lives and cause illness, especially in less developed countries. Although well understood methods, such as spraying and insecticidal nets, are identified as effective deterrents to malaria transmission, the nations that have the greatest burden from the disease also struggle to deploy such measures. What is needed is more targeted and up to date information that shows which regions of developing countries are most likely to be at risk of malaria outbreaks in the near future, this would allow national and local governments and public health workers to deploy protective equipment and personnel where they are most needed. This paper explores the role of environmental data generated via satellite remote sensing as an ingredient to a Malaria Early Warning System. Data from remote sensing satellites can cover broad geographical areas frequently and consistently. Much of the relevant data is available at low or no cost via national data sharing polices. While previous research studies have demonstrated the potential to assign malaria risk to a geographic region based on indicators from satellites and other sources, there is still a need to deploy such tools in a broader and more operational manner. This paper describes current research on the use of satellite-based environmental data to assign malaria risk and considers the barriers and opportunities with a Malaria Early Warning System enabled by satellite remote sensing.