International Research Institutions Research Articles

Utilization of research findings for health policy making and practice: evidence from three case studies in Bangladesh.

BackgroundIn striving to contribute towards improved health outcomes, health research institutions generate and accumulate huge volumes of relevant but often underutilized data. This study explores activities undertaken by researchers from the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b), an international research institution that promotes the utilization of their findings in the policymaking processes in Bangladesh.MethodsThe study used an exploratory case study design and employed qualitative methods to explore activities implemented to promote research utilization and the extent to which researchers felt that their findings contributed to the policymaking process. Data were collected between September and December 2011 through key informant interviews, focus group discussions with study investigators, and database and document reviews. We reviewed findings from 19 reproductive health studies conducted and completed by icddr,b researchers between 2001 and 2011. We interviewed 21 key informants, including 13 researchers, two policy makers, and six programme implementers. Data were entered into Microsoft Word and analyzed manually following a thematic framework approach. Following the World Health Organization/Turning Research into Practice (WHO/TRIP) framework, three case studies of how research findings were utilized in the policymaking processes in Bangladesh were documented.ResultsActivities implemented to promote research utilization included conducting dissemination workshops, publishing scientific papers, developing policy briefs, providing technical assistance to policymakers and programme implementers, holding one-on-one meetings, and joining advocacy networks. The majority of the researchers (12 of 13) reported that their study findings were utilized to influence policymaking processes at different levels. However, some researchers reported being unaware of whether and how their findings were utilized. As regards actual utilization of research findings, the evidence from the three case studies indicate that research findings can be utilized instrumentally, conceptually and symbolically, and at different stages within the policymaking process, including agenda setting and policy formulation and implementation.ConclusionsThe results show that research findings from icddr,b were promoted and utilized in health policymaking processes in Bangladesh using a variety of utilization approaches. These results suggest a need for using multiple approaches to promote utilization of research findings in health policymaking processes.

NOAA/NGDC candidate models for the 12th generation International Geomagnetic Reference Field

The International Geomagnetic Reference Field (IGRF) is a model of the geomagnetic main field and its secular variation, produced every 5 years from candidate models proposed by a number of international research institutions. For this 12th generation IGRF, three candidate models were solicited: a main field model for the 2010.0 epoch, a main field model for the 2015.0 epoch, and the predicted secular variation for the five-year period 2015 to 2020. The National Geophysical Data Center (NGDC), part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), has produced three candidate models for consideration in IGRF-12. The 2010 main field candidate was produced from Challenging Minisatellite Payload (CHAMP) satellite data, while the 2015 main field and secular variation candidates were produced from Swarm and Ørsted satellite data. Careful data selection was performed to minimize the influence of magnetospheric and ionospheric fields. The secular variation predictions of our parent models, from which the candidate models were derived, have been validated against independent ground observatory data.

Determination of formaldehyde in hair creams by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry.

The perfume and cosmetics industry are one of outstanding industrial sectors in Brazil. With an average annual growth of 11% over the last ten years, Brazil has achieved third place in the world ranking for consumption of cosmetics. Hair products are amongst the most consumed cosmetics and the market is growing every day. The active ingredients in hair straightening creams vary according to the product and usually include glutaraldehyde, sodium hydroxide, calcium hydroxide, formaldehyde, pyrogallol, thioglycolic acid, and others. Currently, the most widely used chemical compound in hair products to alter the protein structure of hair to affect smoothing is formaldehyde. Four international research institutions have assessed the carcinogenic potential of formaldehyde: the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the US National Toxicology Program, and the Occupational Safety and Health Association (OSHA). These studies demonstrated that exposure to formaldehyde can cause cancer of the pharynx and nasopharynx, increase the chance of pneumonia, dermatitis and induce allergic reactions (irritation of eyes, nose and throat, insomnia, chest pains, rashes, asthma attacks, among others). In 2001, the National Health Surveillance Agency (ANVISA), which is a branch of the Brazilian Ministry of Health, issued a resolution to control the use of formaldehyde, restricting it to a concentration of up to 0.2 % in cosmetics. However, the maximum (and safe) amount of formaldehyde (0.2%) permitted in cosmetic formulations is insufficient to produce straightened hair and in addition, is a health violation. Hair products for children have been identified for the presence of formaldehyde thus highlighting the importance for regulatory control in the cosmetic industry. The literature discusses somemethodologies and techniques for the analysis of formaldehyde in various samples such as blood, food samples, air, and cosmetics amongst others. Techniques such as spectrophotometry, capillary electrophoresis, and electrochemistry were used to determine formaldehyde. However, most of these techniques involve a series of tedious and labour-intensive extraction steps and they also suffer from low limits of detection (LOD) and quantification (LOQ). High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) is the most widely applied method for the determination of formaldehyde. Gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC-MS) is a versatile analytical technique and attempts have been made to apply GC-MS to the determination of formaldehyde with limited success. Unfortunately, the thermal instability makes direct quantification of formaldehyde by

An Assessment of Participatory Integrated Vector Management for Malaria Control in Kenya.

BackgroundThe World Health Organization (WHO) recommends integrated vector management (IVM) as a strategy to improve and sustain malaria vector control. However, this approach has not been widely adopted.ObjectivesWe comprehensively assessed experiences and findings on IVM in Kenya with a view to sharing lessons that might promote its wider application.MethodsThe assessment used information from a qualitative external evaluation of two malaria IVM projects implemented between 2006 and 2011 and an analysis of their accumulated entomological and malaria case data. The project sites were Malindi and Nyabondo, located in coastal and western Kenya, respectively. The assessment focused on implementation of five key elements of IVM: integration of vector control methods, evidence-based decision making, intersectoral collaboration, advocacy and social mobilization, and capacity building.ResultsIVM was more successfully implemented in Malindi than in Nyabondo owing to greater community participation and multistakeholder engagement. There was a significant decline in the proportion of malaria cases among children admitted to Malindi Hospital, from 23.7% in 2006 to 10.47% in 2011 (p < 0.001). However, the projects’ operational research methodology did not allow statistical attribution of the decline in malaria and malaria vectors to specific IVM interventions or other factors.ConclusionsSustaining IVM is likely to require strong participation and support from multiple actors, including community-based groups, non-governmental organizations, international and national research institutes, and various government ministries. A cluster-randomized controlled trial would be essential to quantify the effectiveness and impact of specific IVM interventions, alone or in combination.CitationMutero CM, Mbogo C, Mwangangi J, Imbahale S, Kibe L, Orindi B, Girma M, Njui A, Lwande W, Affognon H, Gichuki C, Mukabana WR. 2015. An assessment of participatory integrated vector management for malaria control in Kenya. Environ Health Perspect 123:1145–1151; http://dx.doi.org/10.1289/ehp.1408748

Field survey report and satellite image interpretation of the 2013 Super Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines

Abstract. Three weeks after the deadly Bohol earthquake of Mw 7.2, which claimed at least 222 victims, another disaster struck the Philippines. This time, Super Typhoon Haiyan, also known as Typhoon Yolanda in the Philippines, devastated the Eastern Visayas islands on 8 November 2013. Its classification as a super typhoon was based on its maximum sustained 1 min surface wind speed of 315 km h−1, which is equivalent to a strong Category 5 hurricane on the Saffir–Simpson scale. This was one of the deadliest typhoon events in the Philippines' history, after the 1897 and 1912 tropical cyclones. At least 6268 individuals have been reported dead and 1061 people are missing. In addition, a wide area of destruction was observed in the Eastern Visayas, on Samar and Leyte islands. The International Research Institute of Disaster Science (IRIDeS) at Tohoku University in Sendai, Japan, has deployed several teams for damage recognition, relief support and collaboration with regard to this disaster event. One of the teams, the hazard and damage evaluation team, visited the affected areas in the Eastern Visayas in mid-January 2014. In this paper, we summarize the rapid damage assessment from satellite imagery conducted days after the event and report on the inundation measurements and the damage surveyed in the field. Damage interpretation results by satellite images were qualitatively confirmed for the Tacloban city area on Leyte Island, the most populated city in the Eastern Visayas. During the survey, significant damage was observed from wind and storm surges on poorly designed housing on the east coast of Leyte Island. Damage, mainly from surface waves and winds, was observed on the east coast of Samar Island.

A Study of a Federally Funded Project between Higher-Ed Institutions in the U.S. and Pakistan

The study explores the technical and intercultural challenges involved in a Department of State (DoS)-funded collaborative research project between a Mid-Sized Regional Public University in the U.S. and an International Research Institution in Pakistan. The collaborative research project on which the study is based is particularly significant as the groups from each institution face the central communication challenges that are the hallmark of distributed teams, namely physical separation, multiple organizations, and different time zones. This manuscript highlights the importance of intercultural factors in shaping the institutional relationships and examines expectations for collective responsibility in the given context.

Deep inside Fukushima

In the dark abandoned shell of Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, Rosemary and Sakura shoot what looks like a dystopian first-person shooter game. Rosemary scans her environment, while Sakura records every move. Developed at the Chiba Institute of Technology, Rosemary and Sakura can climb 45 degree slopes and use gyroscopes and other sensors to navigate inside buildings without the need for GPS. But the standard radiation detector, gamma cameras weighing 150 kilograms, proved too cumbersome for them to use. So the team has turned to a gamma camera that weighs just 17 kilograms and can rotate 360 degrees. This has been added to the robots as part of a system called N-Visage, which also includes a laser scanner that draws a 3D image of its environment. The radiation measurements can be combined with a laser scan of the plant's exact layout, says Trevor Craig of UK start-up Createc, which developed N-Visage for Japan's International Research Institute for Nuclear Decommissioning, and reactor maker Hitachi. An earlier version was used in Sellafield in Cumbria

Efficient performance of the Met Office Unified Model v8.2 on Intel Xeon partially used nodes

Abstract. The atmospheric Unified Model (UM) developed at the UK Met Office is used for weather and climate prediction by forecast teams at a number of international meteorological centres and research institutes on a wide variety of hardware and software environments. Over its 25 year history the UM sources have been optimised for better application performance on a number of High Performance Computing (HPC) systems including NEC SX vector architecture systems and recently the IBM Power6/Power7 platforms. Understanding the influence of the compiler flags, Message Passing Interface (MPI) libraries and run configurations is crucial to achieving the shortest elapsed times for a UM application on any particular HPC system. These aspects are very important for applications that must run within operational time frames. Driving the current study is the HPC industry trend since 1980 for processor arithmetic performance to increase at a faster rate than memory bandwidth. This gap has been growing especially fast for multicore processors in the past 10 years and it can have significant implication for the performance and performance scaling of memory bandwidth intensive applications, such as the UM. Analysis of partially used nodes on Intel Xeon clusters is provided in this paper for short- and medium-range weather forecasting systems using global and limited-area configurations. It is shown that on the Intel Xeon-based clusters the fastest elapsed times and the most efficient system usage can be achieved using partially committed nodes.

‘Supernatural Soliciting’: Pathways from Betrayal to Retribution in Macbeth and Yotsuya Kaidan

Although written two centuries apart and in divergent cultures, the kabuki play Tōkaidō Yotsuya Kaidan and Shakespeare's Macbeth exhibit marked similarities (as well as differences) in plot. Here, Carol Fisher Sorgenfrei analyzes some of the ways that these plays reflect (mostly male) anxieties regarding shifting patterns of gender and political power in Jacobean England and Tokugawa Japan. Professor Emerita of Theatre at UCLA, Carol Fisher Sorgenfrei is a specialist in Japanese theatre and intercultural performance, and was recently a Research Fellow at the International Research Institute in Interweaving Performance Cultures at the Free University, Berlin. She is the author of Unspeakable Acts: the Avant-Garde Theatre of Terayama Shūji and Postwar Japan (University of Hawaii, 2005) and co-author of Theatre Histories: an Introduction (Routledge, third edition, 2015). She is also a playwright whose latest play, Ghost Light, is a contemporary fusion of Macbeth and Yotsuya Ghost Stories, in which the ghost of a Japanese-American actress returns to wreak vengeance on the husband who betrayed her. The play will be staged as an Equity Showcase in New York in Autumn 2015.

Research and innovation in sustainable forestry: lessons learnt to inform the policy making community

From an already rich experience of cooperation between scientists and policy makers in the framework of international research institutions such as the International union of forest research organizations (IUFRO), the Center for international forest research (CIFOR) and the European Forest Institute (EFI), as well as through the promotion and development of EU research projects and programs, some lessons can be drawn considering the possible role of scientists at the science-policy interface. Today, on the example of the global change - and especially the climatic changes that policy makers are demanding about-, most of the researches to be carried out have to answer social questions the solutions of which require the support of science. This is especially the case in the forestry field, which is characterized by the particularly long term of cycles and the great number of stakeholders interested in. Whilst decision making processes are complex systems, science is not the only source of knowledge useful for taking decisions, so that in a democratic context, research results have to be confronted to other lessons learnt (for instance from technical expertise, or from traditional knowledge) in order to get accountability in terms of instrumentation. In scientific terms, it should certainly lead to multi-disciplinary approaches of the multifunctionality of forest and related techniques to be implemented. But this does not mean that research activities have to be assessed only against their instrumentality. However, research and public decision-making are very contrasting spheres, where the principles and professional types of behavior are basically different. This situation calls for a need for a clear separation of the respective roles. In addition, all scientific developments should not be driven from practical needs of decision-makers, since theoretical questions may indirectly build up the future reality.

International Research Institute (IRI) Officers and Promotion Committee

International Research Institute (IRI) Officers and Promotion Committee

Operational research on malaria control and elimination: a review of projects published between 2008 and 2013.

A literature review for operational research on malaria control and elimination was conducted using the term 'malaria' and the definition of operational research (OR). A total of 15 886 articles related to malaria were searched between January 2008 and June 2013. Of these, 582 (3.7%) met the definition of operational research. These OR projects had been carried out in 83 different countries. Most OR studies (77%) were implemented in Africa south of the Sahara. Only 5 (1%) of the OR studies were implemented in countries in the pre-elimination or elimination phase. The vast majority of OR projects (92%) were led by international or local research institutions, while projects led by National Malaria Control Programmes (NMCP) accounted for 7.8%. With regards to the topic under investigation, the largest percentage of papers was related to vector control (25%), followed by epidemiology/transmission (16.5%) and treatment (16.3%). Only 19 (3.8%) of the OR projects were related to malaria surveillance. Strengthening the capacity of NMCPs to conduct operational research and publish its findings, and improving linkages between NMCPs and research institutes may aid progress towards malaria elimination and eventual eradication world-wide.

An interview with Norio Nakatsuji.

An interview with Norio Nakatsuji.

Essential drugs production in Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS): opportunities and challenges.

The objective of this work is to elucidate various essential drugs in the Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS) countries. It discusses the opportunities and challenges of the existing biotech infrastructure and the production of drugs and vaccines in member states of the BRICS. This research is based on a systematic literature review between the years 2000 and 2014 of documents retrieved from the databases Embase, PubMed/Medline, Global Health, and Google Scholar, and the websites of relevant international organizations, research institutions and philanthropic organizations. Findings vary from one member state to another. These include useful comparison between the BRICS countries in terms of pharmaceuticals expenditure versus total health expenditure, local manufacturing of drugs/vaccines using technology and know-how transferred from developed countries, and biotech entrepreneurial collaborations under the umbrella of the BRICS region. This study concludes by providing recommendations to support more of inter collaborations among the BRICS countries as well as between BRICS and many developing countries to shrink drug production costs. In addition, this collaboration would also culminate in reaching out to poor countries that are not able to provide their communities and patients with cost-effective essential medicines.

Who Talks to Whom in Malawi's Agricultural Research Information Network?

Purpose: The sector-wide approach currently dominates as the strategy for developing the agricultural sector of many African countries. Although recognised that collaborative agricultural research is vital in ensuring success of sector-wide agricultural development strategies; there have been few efforts to understand the dynamics of national agricultural research/development networks in Africa. This study fills this gap by analysing the dynamics of networking and interactions between institutions in the National Agricultural Research System in Malawi. Design/Methodology/Approach: The study sampled actors in the National Agricultural Research System in Malawi, which included the main public agricultural research department, academic institutions, semi-autonomous research institutions, private companies and international agricultural research institutions. Data was analysed using Social Network Analysis. Findings: Results demonstrate that public agricultural research departments play a central coordinating role in facilitating information sharing; with other actors remaining on the periphery. However, it also shows the important role other actors play to relay information to a wider network of stakeholders. These secondary information pathways can play a very crucial role in ensuring successful implementation of the national agricultural research agenda. Practical implication: Policy-makers are called upon to integrate other research actors into the mainstream national agricultural research information network. This is vital as other research actors are, at the global level, increasingly taking up a greater role in financing and disseminating research and research results. Originality/Value: The study contributes greatly towards knowledge needed for continuing the transformation of African agricultural research; and aligning the African agricultural research vision and practice with the emerging global agricultural research paradigm.

Customer loyalty towards traditional products – Polish market experience

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to analyse key determinants of Polish consumers’ loyalty, identified through the analysis of relationship marketing literature, with reference to traditional foodstuffs.Design/methodology/approach– The paper's approach is a systematic review of the Web of Science, Ebsco and Pro-Quest electronic databases, from 1990 to 2014 as well as research results run by Polish and international research centres, groups and institutes. The paper focuses on two main aspects. One is connected with the development of traditional foodstuffs being a consequence of growing prosperity of the Polish society, and the emergence of consumers who rate quality, national/regional identity and own cultural values higher than the price. The other one is connected with key determinants of consumer loyalty towards traditional products. The paper uses secondary data, and presents research results run between Polish consumers of traditional food products. Attitudes and behaviour of Polish consumers of traditional products in relation to key determinants of loyalty, such as attitude towards the product, the level of satisfaction, trust, price sensitivity and frequency of purchase and willingness to do repeat purchase are identified in the paper.Findings– According to the analysed research, almost 90 percent of the respondents positively perceive traditional products. The results of the research confirm positive and emotional attitudes of consumers towards traditional products. This emotional attachment, which is very important in creating loyalty among consumers, makes them buy traditional food. Polish consumers are satisfied with the taste of traditional products, which are also perceived as fresh and natural. Consumers rate the quality of traditional products highly and underline their positive influence on their and their families’ health. According to the research, Polish consumers pay little attention to geographical and quality indications, which are designed to build a trustworthy image of the products. Traditional products are perceived as expensive, which makes it difficult to build loyalty and affects the frequency of purchase. Almost 40 percent of the respondents buy traditional products once a month.Practical implications– The research results presented in the paper have significant implications for management, that is producers and retailers of local food, in particular with regard to their future marketing effort. Producers and entrepreneurs should monitor behaviour of consumers of traditional food to adapt their offer to changing trends in order to create their loyalty. Consumers expect the products to be made of appropriate ingredients and production methods in order to keep their original taste and character. They also expect some product innovations and proper communication to become loyal.Social implications– The paper has significant implications for society. The process of building customer loyalty towards traditional products is important in the context of their quality of life and public attitude. Traditional foods are a part of culture and the identity of the population where they are produced. Therefore they carry a strong symbolic value for the customers. They are also perceived as healthy and nutritious products, containing a lot of vitamins and minerals. Creating loyal attitude towards them may improve the quality of customers’ life.Originality/value– The paper provides interesting insights about loyalty for traditional products. Based on the determinants of loyalty identified by the author in relationship marketing literature the analysis of these variables was conducted in relation to traditional products. Due to the best author knowledge this is one of the first attempts, if not the first, where loyalty determinants were described in relation to traditional products. The literature lacks comprehensive research on particular aspects of loyal behaviour in the market of traditional products.

Alluring Ambiguity: Gender and Cultural Politics in Modern Japanese Performance

In contrast to most studies of cultural nationalism, which tend to focus on literary style, narrative devices, or the static visual arts, in this article Carol Fisher Sorgenfrei analyzes the ways that Japanese actors deploy physical and vocal techniques in portraying gender and ethnic ambiguity. Expanding on her recent work on actor-dancer Itō Michio (1893–1961), she uses the concept of J-centrism (Japancentrism) to demonstrate how modern Japanese performing bodies (in both traditional and contemporary genres) imply political meaning – her title being a riff on Susan Sontag's famous essay ‘Fascinating Fascism’. While not suggesting that the artists under consideration promulgate fascism, Sorgenfrei maintains that the Japanese aesthetic preference for gender and ethnic ambiguity fuels the politics of Japanese cultural nationalism, even when the performers or directors adamantly disavow rightist, nationalistic ideologies. Through a focus on analysis of selected performances by Bando Tamasaburō and theoretical writings by Suzuki Tadashi, Sorgenfrei suggests that the performance of ambiguity by a single actor implies the ‘universality’ and cultural superiority of the Japanese body. Professor Emerita of Theatre at UCLA, Carol Fisher Sorgenfrei is a specialist in Japanese theatre and intercultural performance, and was recently a Research Fellow at the International Research Institute in Interweaving Performance Cultures at the Free University, Berlin, where she researched the work of Japanese dancer Itō Michio. She is the author of Unspeakable Acts: the Avant-Garde Theatre of Terayama Shūji and Postwar Japan (University of Hawaii, 2005) and co-author of Theatre Histories: an Introduction (Routledge, third edition 2015).

Medical device procurement in low- and middle-income settings: protocol for a systematic review.

BackgroundMedical device procurement processes for low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) are a poorly understood and researched topic. To support LMIC policy formulation in this area, international public health organizations and research institutions issue a large body of predominantly grey literature including guidelines, manuals and recommendations. We propose to undertake a systematic review to identify and explore the medical device procurement methodologies suggested within this and further literature. Procurement facilitators and barriers will be identified, and methodologies for medical device prioritization under resource constraints will be discussed.Methods/designSearches of both bibliographic and grey literature will be conducted to identify documents relating to the procurement of medical devices in LMICs. Data will be extracted according to protocol on a number of pre-specified issues and variables. First, data relating to the specific settings described within the literature will be noted. Second, information relating to medical device procurement methodologies will be extracted, including prioritization of procurement under resource constraints, the use of evidence (e.g. cost-effectiveness evaluations, burden of disease data) as well as stakeholders participating in procurement processes. Information relating to prioritization methodologies will be extracted in the form of quotes or keywords, and analysis will include qualitative meta-summary. Narrative synthesis will be employed to analyse data otherwise extracted. The PRISMA guidelines for reporting will be followed.DiscussionThe current review will identify recommended medical device procurement methodologies for LMICs. Prioritization methods for medical device acquisition will be explored. Relevant stakeholders, facilitators and barriers will be discussed. The review is aimed at both LMIC decision makers and the international research community and hopes to offer a first holistic conceptualization of this topic.

Individual and familial factors associated with fruit and vegetable intake among 11- to 14-year-old Romanian school children.

The healthy nutrition guidelines proposed by international research institutes and the World Health Organization recommend a daily intake of fruit and vegetables of at least 400 g, representing five servings a day (each serving contains around 80 g). Moreover, the recommendations stress the importance of consuming both fruit and vegetables daily, preferably at least two portions of fruit and three portions of vegetables per day. To efficiently develop interventions for promoting fruit and vegetable consumption among children, it is essential to identify and understand the factors that influence these behaviours. The present study aims at identifying the individual and familial factors which influence fruit and vegetable consumption among Romanian children. A cross-sectional survey by means of anonymous questionnaires was conducted among 361 school children, aged 11-14, from Cluj-Napoca, Romania (April-May 2011). Multiple linear regression analyses were used to assess the correlates of fruit and vegetable intake. The results show that 44.6% of the children met the recommendations regarding fruit intake, while 9.1% of the children declared eating the daily recommended portions of vegetables. Knowledge regarding the recommended number of daily servings and higher self-efficacy concerning the intake of fruit and vegetables every day were positively associated with higher consumption of fruit and vegetables. Fruit preference also influenced positively the consumption of fruit. The familial factor associated with vegetable intake was the perceived behaviour of the mother, while fruit intake was higher among children who declared higher fruit availability at home. Hence, it is necessary to develop in Romania nutrition interventions addressing the determinants of fruit and vegetable intake as identified by this study; these interventions should target both children and parents.

Remote-Sensing Applications for Environmental Health Research

More than 1,000 manmade satellites currently orbit our planet.1 Some are near the edge of the Earth’s atmosphere just a few hundred kilometers up. Others are tens of thousands of kilometers above us.2 They aid in communication, navigation, defense, and science. A small number3,4 play a critical and quickly expanding role: monitoring the Earth’s surface and atmosphere to track environmental conditions that are intimately tied to human health. A number of new Earth-observing missions are planned for the next decade, including Sentinel-5 aboard the European Space Agency’s MetOp Second Generation satellites (pictured).48 In the meantime researchers are finding new uses for the satellite ... Researchers and government agencies worldwide already use satellite data to monitor air pollutants, infectious disease epidemics, harmful algal blooms (HABs), climate change, and more. But as current research indicates, that’s only the beginning of what we can do with the technology, broadly referred to as “remote sensing.” In the coming years, new satellites will offer higher-resolution imagery in conjunction with more robust and precise algorithms to process the data they deliver. As a result, researchers expect to dramatically expand their ability to view and understand Earth’s land, water, and air, from its remotest ocean waters to its largest cities. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) launched its first satellite in 1958,5 and TIROS-1, the country’s first meteorological satellite, came 2 years later.6 Within a few decades members of the epidemiological and public health communities began actively looking at satellite data, says John Haynes, program manager of the NASA Applied Sciences Health and Air Quality Applications Program. In recent years interest in remote-sensing data has soared, with newer avenues being developed and fine-tuned, including air-quality measurements and vector-borne disease projections. “There’s really been a paradigm shift in the use of remote sensing for public health issues,” Haynes says. “Every year there seems to be more and more interest.” Indeed, by March 2015 NASA will have launched 6 Earth-observing missions in 12 months,7 more than in any year in at least a decade.8 New launches include a “global precipitation observatory” that will make frequent global measurements of rain and snowfall, plus one satellite designed to measure soil moisture and another that will measure how carbon moves through the Earth’s atmosphere, land, and oceans. In addition, the International Space Station will receive three new instruments, one that will observe how winds behave around the world, one that will measure clouds and aerosols (particles suspended in the atmosphere)—two variables that remain difficult to predict in climate-change models—and one that will take global, long-term measurements of key components of the Earth’s atmosphere, including aerosols and ozone.9 The momentum will carry through at least the next 8 or so years, with NASA and other space agencies in Europe and Asia planning to launch new satellites that will provide even higher-resolution snapshots of the Earth. Along with technological and scientific advances, a third development is leading to new and improved applications of satellite data: NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) have made their satellite data available free of charge, Haynes says, while the European Space Agency (ESA) has reduced prices and promised to provide free access to data from its next generation of instruments. “More people use the data, and you get more out of it than when you try to restrict it,” says Raphael Kudela, an oceanographer at the University of California, Santa Cruz, who uses satellite imagery to study HABs. This free sharing of data has been instrumental in his field, allowing researchers at institutions around the world to study HABs from above and to improve systems to track and predict them.