NASA EARTH SCIENCE RESEARCH RESULTS ENHANCE HEALTH AND AIR QUALITY SCIENCE FOR SOCIETY

Earth is changing on all spatial and temporal scales. The purpose of NASA’s Earth science program is to develop a scientific understanding of Earth’s system and its response to natural or human-induced changes and to improve prediction of climate, weather, and natural hazards. As one of the four application areas for the Applied Sciences Program, the Health and Air Quality Program extends the benefits of increased knowledge and capabilities resulting from NASA Earth science satellite observations, model predictive capabilities, and technology, into partners’ decision support systems for public health, medical, and environmental health issues. Through the Health and Air Quality Program, NASA and partnering organizations have built a network that focuses on the relationships between NASA Earth observation systems, modeling systems, and partner-led decision support systems for epidemiologic and regulatory surveillance in the areas of infectious disease, environmental health (including air quality), and emergency response and preparedness. The next-generation of NASA Earth-observing satellites will be launched over the next several years. These satellites (including GPM, OCO-2, and SMAP) will provide observations of even greater temporal and spatial resolution to further enhance decision support for society.