An Integrated System for the Epidemiological Application of Earth Observation Technologies

Objectives

The aim of the project is to develop an Epidemic Prognosis Incorporating Disease and Environmental Monitoring for Integrated Assessment (EPIDEMIA) system. This set of computational and analytical tools integrates data from multiple sources, including earth observing satellites as well as epidemiological surveillance systems, to generate more timely and accurate predictions of malaria outbreaks.

EPIDEMIA is a collaborative project involving scientists from South Dakota State University (SDSU) along with public health partners from government agencies and non-governmental organizations in Ethiopia. It involves analyzing, mapping, and forecasting the risk of malaria across large areas. This work requires a variety of geoinformatics technologies including satellite remote sensing for environmental monitoring, geographic information systems for data management and processing, and spatial statistics for analysis and modeling. The ultimate goal is to design and implement a malaria early warning systems to forecast the locations of future disease outbreaks in the Amhara Region of Ethiopia based on environmental risk factors.