Turning data from space into action for Earth

Happy Earth Day, 22 April – a global call to act and protect our planet. At the European Space Agency, that action begins in orbit, where satellites deliver a continuous, global view of Earth and track environmental change.

Working with partners, ESA turns this stream of data into actionable information through its FutureEO programme, helping governments and communities respond faster and more effectively to climate-driven risks.

As climate change accelerates the spread of mosquito-borne diseases, satellite-based early warning systems are giving health authorities a critical head start. By fusing Earth observation data with machine learning, ESA and UNICEF have developed a digital platform that helps countries predict, prepare for and respond to dengue and malaria outbreaks weeks before they escalate.

At the heart of this effort is the Disease Incidence and Resource Estimator (DIRE), developed by ESA Φ‑lab for UNICEF. DIRE combines machine learning with satellite‑derived environmental data to model how climate and geography influence disease transmission and predict imminent disease epidemics.

Read the full article on www.esa.int.

Photo courtesy of Pixabay/A Different Perspective