Earth Observation, Public Health and One Health: Activities, Challenges and Opportunities

EO is used to understand, track, predict, and manage infectious and chronic diseases, and it has demonstrated potential during the COVID-19 pandemic. This book reviews the contributions of EO to public health practices and discusses the challenges and opportunities for EO to benefit public health.

Format: Hardback
Length: 160 pages
Publication date: 03 May 2022
Publisher: CABI Publishing

This comprehensive book delves into the invaluable contributions of Earth Observation (EO) to public health practices. It explores the diverse ways in which EO is being employed to gain insights, track, predict, and effectively manage infectious and chronic diseases. The book also provides a thoughtful discussion on the current challenges and immense potential of EO to support a One Health approach. Its primary objective is to address a series of critical questions: How does EO currently support public health activities? What are the barriers to operationalizing EO in public health? What exciting opportunities lie ahead for EO to enhance public health outcomes?

This review specifically focuses on the following priority themes where EO and geomatics can make significant contributions:

• Mosquito-borne and tick-borne diseases
• Water-borne diseases
• Air quality and extreme heat effects
• Geospatial indicators of vulnerable human populations

Furthermore, the book highlights the remarkable potential of EO during the COVID-19 pandemic as a reliable source of data for monitoring rapid environmental and socio-economic changes and their impacts. Remotely sensed data, in particular, hold immense value in risk modeling and mapping projects, aiding in the generation of information on the occurrence, spatio-temporal trends, and risk factors associated with disease. EO can also play a crucial role in identifying risk factors for disease risk or emergence detected through surveillance, supporting the development of early warning systems. Risk maps, created through the utilization of EO data, empower public health professionals to anticipate and prepare for health threats, enabling them to respond effectively to infectious disease epidemics or ongoing endemic conditions.

This book is the result of a collaborative effort between the Public Health Agency of Canada and the Canadian Space Agency, with the invaluable contributions of international experts. Their findings will undoubtedly be of immense value to public health professionals, as well as EO enthusiasts, who are eager to develop and apply innovative solutions to improve global health outcomes.

Weight: 559g
Dimension: 244 x 172 x 12 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781800621183