Cloud-based applications for accessing satellite Earth observations to support malaria early warning.

Area of Science:

• Environmental Science
• Public Health
• Epidemiology

Background:

• Malaria epidemics are influenced by climate variables affecting mosquito vectors and parasite development.
• Environmental monitoring is crucial for predicting malaria outbreaks, but data access is challenging.
• Satellite data offer valuable insights but require significant technical expertise and resources.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop an accessible software tool for malaria forecasting in Ethiopia.
• To streamline the retrieval and summarization of environmental data for public health applications.
• To support early warning systems for malaria epidemics.

Main Methods:

• Developed Retrieving Environmental Analytics for Climate and Health (REACH) software.
• Utilized Google Earth Engine (GEE) platform for accessing land surface temperature, spectral indices, and precipitation data.
• Implemented REACH as a cloud-based application accessible via GEE, web app, or Python API.

Main Results:

• REACH successfully automates data summarization and download for 852 districts in Ethiopia.
• The software was effectively used in a pilot malaria early warning project in Ethiopia's Amhara region.
• Demonstrated the software's capability to be extended to new geographic locations and environmental datasets.

Conclusions:

• REACH enhances accessibility to critical environmental data for malaria forecasting.
• The developed software supports public health initiatives for malaria epidemic prediction.
• Facilitates improved malaria surveillance and response through user-friendly environmental data analysis.