scholarly journals Earth Observation Data Supporting Non-Communicable Disease Research: A Review

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (16) ◽  
pp. 2541
Author(s):  
Patrick Sogno ◽  
Claudia Traidl-Hoffmann ◽  
Claudia Kuenzer

A disease is non-communicable when it is not transferred from one person to another. Typical examples include all types of cancer, diabetes, stroke, or allergies, as well as mental diseases. Non-communicable diseases have at least two things in common—environmental impact and chronicity. These diseases are often associated with reduced quality of life, a higher rate of premature deaths, and negative impacts on a countries’ economy due to healthcare costs and missing work force. Additionally, they affect the individual’s immune system, which increases susceptibility toward communicable diseases, such as the flu or other viral and bacterial infections. Thus, mitigating the effects of non-communicable diseases is one of the most pressing issues of modern medicine, healthcare, and governments in general. Apart from the predisposition toward such diseases (the genome), their occurrence is associated with environmental parameters that people are exposed to (the exposome). Exposure to stressors such as bad air or water quality, noise, extreme heat, or an overall unnatural surrounding all impact the susceptibility to non-communicable diseases. In the identification of such environmental parameters, geoinformation products derived from Earth Observation data acquired by satellites play an increasingly important role. In this paper, we present a review on the joint use of Earth Observation data and public health data for research on non-communicable diseases. We analyzed 146 articles from peer-reviewed journals (Impact Factor ≥ 2) from all over the world that included Earth Observation data and public health data for their assessments. Our results show that this field of synergistic geohealth analyses is still relatively young, with most studies published within the last five years and within national boundaries. While the contribution of Earth Observation, and especially remote sensing-derived geoinformation products on land surface dynamics is on the rise, there is still a huge potential for transdisciplinary integration into studies. We see the necessity for future research and advocate for the increased incorporation of thematically profound remote sensing products with high spatial and temporal resolution into the mapping of exposomes and thus the vulnerability and resilience assessment of a population regarding non-communicable diseases.

2013 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-16 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qihao Weng ◽  
Bing Xu ◽  
Xuefei Hu ◽  
Hua Liu

2021 ◽  
pp. 49-61
Author(s):  
Miguel Ángel Esbrí

AbstractIn this chapter we present the concepts of remote sensing and Earth Observation and, explain why several of their characteristics (volume, variety and velocity) make us consider Earth Observation as Big Data. Thereafter, we discuss the most commonly open data formats used to store and share the data. The main sources of Earth Observation data are also described, with particular focus on the constellation of Sentinel satellites, Copernicus Hub and its six thematic services, as well as other private initiatives like the five Copernicus-related Data and Information Access Services and  Sentinel Hub. Next, we present an overview of representative software technologies for efficiently describing, storing, querying and accessing Earth Observation datasets. The chapter concludes with a summary of the Earth Observation datasets used in each DataBio pilot.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (14) ◽  
pp. 2758
Author(s):  
Vasileios Syrris ◽  
Sveinung Loekken

Earth observation and remote sensing technologies provide ample and comprehensive information regarding the dynamics and complexity of the Earth system [...]


2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 345 ◽  
Author(s):  
Henryk Hodam ◽  
Andreas Rienow ◽  
Carsten Jürgens

The digital integrated learning environments (ILEs) for earth observation described in this article are bringing the complex topic of earth observation into classrooms. They are intended to give pupils with no prior experience in remote sensing the opportunity to solve tasks with earth observation data by using the same means that professionals have at hand. These learning environments integrate remote sensing tools and background knowledge in a comprehensive e-learning environment. They are tailored for use in schools, whereby the curriculum typically does not include earth observation, teachers are generally not familiar with its concepts, and the technical infrastructure is still not quite ready for digital teaching resources. To make the learning environments applicable, the special demands and obstacles presented by a school environment have to be considered. These obstacles are used to derive the requirements for the use of satellite data in school classes and create classroom resources in terms of technology, didactics, and e-learning. The concept itself was developed ten years ago, and since, then multiple applications have been created and used in classes. Data from an online questionnaire focuses on the specific qualities of the learning modules, enabling us to assess whether the concept works, and where there is need for improvement. The results show that the learning environments are being used, and that they continue to open the minds of pupils and teachers alike to a new perspective on the earth.


2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (15) ◽  
pp. 2474 ◽  
Author(s):  
Inken Müller ◽  
Hannes Taubenböck ◽  
Monika Kuffer ◽  
Michael Wurm

Slums are a physical expression of poverty and inequality in cities. According to the UN definition, this inequality is, e.g., reflected in the fact that slums are much more often located in hazardous zones. However, this has not yet been empirically investigated. In this study, we derive proxies from multi-sensoral high resolution remote sensing data to investigate both the location of slums and the location of slopes. We do so for seven cities on three continents. Using a chi-squared test of homogeneity, we compare the locations of formal areas with that of slums. Contrary to the perception indirectly stated in the literature, we find that slums are in none of the sample cities predominantly located in these exposed areas. In five out of seven cities, the spatial share of slums on hills steeper than 10° is even less than 5% of all slums. However, we also find a higher likelihood of slums occurring in these exposed areas than of formal settlements. In six out of seven sample cities, the probability that a slum is located in steep areas is higher than for a formal settlement. As slums mostly feature higher population densities, these findings reveal a clear tendency that slum residents are more likely to settle in exposed areas.


2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 86 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ate Poortinga ◽  
Wim Bastiaanssen ◽  
Gijs Simons ◽  
David Saah ◽  
Gabriel Senay ◽  
...  

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
pp. 175-181
Author(s):  
V.A. Zelentsov ◽  
◽  
M.R. Ponomarenko ◽  
I.Y. Pimanov

The paper presents an overview of existing thematic services based on Earth remote sensing data from space and aimed at monitoring and analysis of forest vegetation and dynamics of its changes.


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