How NASA Can Use Satellites to Help Predict Extreme Environmental Events That Are Dangerous in Today's Society

Satellite earth observations present a unique vantage point of the earth's environment from space, which offers a wealth of health applications for the imaginative investigator. The presentation is directly related to Earth Observing systems and Global Health Surveillance and will present research results of the remote sensing environmental observations of earth and health How can you use NASA Satellite data to predict extreme environmental events and use these predictions can be used to predict disease outbreaks. Researches use satellite data to predict outbreaks of infectious diseases and vectorborne disease and how to prevent the disasters that these diseases can cause (chlorea, west nile virus , dengue fever, etc.,). We will also look at environmental conditions such as heat and others can cause many emergency situations where people can have heat exhaustion, heart attacks and strokes. What are the temperatures where precautions should be taken, we are researching that answer. Air Quality remains a constant source for illness to occur including Asthma, COPD, and other respiratory illnesses; NASA has satellite sensors to predict Air Quality and help local health/state/national officials to provide warning to the public and hopefully predict an increase of emergency hospital visits. NASA satellites can also help in predicting extreme events related to water sources such harmful algae blooms (HABs) in the Gulf of Mexico and the Great Lakes regions of the country. These predictions have helped with city water sources are compromised by HABs (Toledo) to let them prepare and hopefully prevent future outbreaks. The satellites are able to predict when the Gulf of Mexico is unsafe for swimmers and also provides warning about respiratory and other health risks around the HAB outbreaks.

This presentation will discuss what NASA is doing in the future to continue working in Health and Air Quality with new sensors/satellite being launched to help protect our Earth. The NASA programs are always trying to look to the future and find new uses for their data. This should be a session for those with imagination and looking for new avenues for their research.

The presentations will discuss the future for satellite data and how we are preparing for more extreme events in the future. The presenter will discuss how outbreaks of infectious diseases can be predicted as well as environmental threats such as heat and other environmental threats.