Identifying Geographic Areas at Risk of Soil-Transmitted Helminthes Infection Using MODIS Products: Boaco, Nicaragua as a Case Study
No abstract available
MorenoMadrinan, Max J.↗
Engineering topics
Luvall, Jeffrey
Publications and source records attributed to Luvall, Jeffrey.
The Use of ATLAS Data to Quantify Surface Radiative Budgets in Four US Cities
The additional heating of the air over the city is the result of the replacement of naturally vegetated surfaces with those composed of asphalt, concrete, rooftops and other manmade materials. The temperatures of these artificial surfaces can be 20 to 40 C higher than vegetated surfaces. This produces a dome of elevated air temperatures 5 to 8 C greater over the city, compared to the air temperatures over adjacent rural areas. This effect is called the "urban heat island". Urban landscapes are a complex mixture of vegetated and non-vegetated surfaces. It is difficult to take enough temperature measurements over a large city area to. The use of remotely sensed data from airborne scanners is ideal to characterize the complexity of urban albedo and radiant surface temperatures. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Airborne Thermal and Land Applications Sensor (ATLAS) operates in the visual and IR bands was used to collect data from Salt Lake City, UT, Sacramento, CA, Baton Rouge, LA. And San Juan, Puerto Rico with the main objective of investigating the Urban Heat Island (UHI). In this presentation we will examine the techniques of analyzing remotely sensed data for measuring the effect of various urban surfaces on their contribution to the urban heat island effect.
Luvall, Jeffrey↗
Integration of Dust Prediction Systems and Vegetation Phenology to Track Pollen for Asthma Alerts in Public Health
Initial efforts to develop a deterministic model for predicting and simulating pollen release and downwind concentration to study dependencies of phenology on meteorology will be discussed. The development of a real-time, rapid response pollen release and transport system as a component of the New Mexico Environmental Public Health Tracking System (EPHTS), is based on meteorological models, NASA Earth science results (ESR), and an in-situ network of phenology cameras. The plan is to detect pollen release verified using ground based atmospheric pollen sampling within a few hours using daily MODIS daa in nearly real-time from Direct Broadcast, similar to the MODIS Rapid Response System for fire detection. As MODIS winds down, the NPOESS-VIIRS sensor will assume daily vegetation monitoring tasks. Also, advancements in geostationary satellites will allow 1km vegetation indices at 15-30 minute intervals. The pollen module in EPHTS will be used to: (1) support public health decisions for asthma and allergy alerts in New Mexico, Texas and Oklahoma; (2) augment the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)'s Environmental Public Health Tracking Network (EPHTN); and (3) extend surveillance services to local healthcare providers subscribing to the Syndrome Reporting Information System (SYRIS). Previous studies in NASA's public health applications portfolios provide the infrastructure for this effort. The team is confident that NASA and NOAA ESR data, combined into a verified and validated dust model will yield groundbreaking results using the modified dust model to transport pollen. The growing ESR/health infrastructure is based on results from a rapid prototype scoping effort for pollen detection and simulation carried out by the principal investigators.
Luvall, Jeffrey↗
Environmental Factors Affecting Asthma and Allergies: Predicting and Simulating Downwind Exposure to Airborne Pollen
This slide presentation reviews the environmental factors that affect asthma and allergies and work to predict and simulate the downwind exposure to airborne pollen. Using a modification of Dust REgional Atmosphere Model (DREAM) that incorporates phenology (i.e. PREAM) the aim was to predict concentrations of pollen in time and space. The strategy for using the model to simulate downwind pollen dispersal, and evaluate the results. Using MODerate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), to get seasonal sampling of Juniper, the pollen chosen for the study, land cover on a near daily basis. The results of the model are reviewed.
Luvall, Jeffrey↗
Identifying Optimal Temporal Scale for the Correlation of AOD and Ground Measurements of PM2.5 to Improve the Modeling Performance in a Real-Time Air Quality Estimation System
Aerosol optical depth (AOD), derived from satellite measurements using Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MODIS), offers indirect estimates of particle matter. Research shows a significant positive correlation between satellite-based measurements of AOD and ground-based measurements of particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter less than or equal to 2.5 micrometers (PM2.5). In addition, satellite observations have also shown great promise in improving estimates of PM2.5 air quality surface. Research shows that correlations between AOD and ground PM2.5 are affected by a combination of many factors such as inherent characteristics of satellite observations, terrain, cloud cover, height of the mixing layer, and weather conditions, and thus might vary widely in different regions, different seasons, and even different days in a same location. Analysis of correlating AOD with ground measured PM2.5 on a day-to-day basis suggests the temporal scale, a number of immediate latest days for a given run's day, for their correlations needs to be considered to improve air quality surface estimates, especially when satellite observations are used in a real-time pollution system. The second reason is that correlation coefficients between AOD and ground PM2.5 cannot be predetermined and needs to be calculated for each day's run for a real-time system because the coefficients can vary over space and time. Few studies have been conducted to explore the optimal way to apply AOD data to improve model accuracies of PM2.5 surface estimation in a real-time air quality system. This paper discusses the best temporal scale to calculate the correlation of AOD and ground particle matter data to improve the results of pollution models in real-time system.
Li,Hui↗
Linking Asthma Exacerbation and Air Pollution Data: A Step Toward Public Health and Environmental Data Integration
Studies have shown that reducing exposure to triggers such as air pollutants can reduce symptoms and the need for medication in asthma patients. However, systems that track asthma are generally not integrated with those that track environmental hazards related to asthma. Tlvs lack of integration hinders public health awareness and responsiveness to these environmental triggers. The current study is a collaboration between health and environmental professionals to utilize NASA-derived environmental data to develop a decision support system (DSS) for asthma prediction, surveillance, and intervention. The investigators link asthma morbidity data from the University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC) and Mississippi Department of Health (MDH) with air quality data from the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) and remote sensing data from NASA. Daily ambient environmental hazard data for PM2.5 and ozone are obtained from the MDEQ air quality monitoring locations and are combined with remotely sensed data from NASA to develop a state-wide spatial and time series profile of environmental air quality. These data are then used to study the correlation of these measures of air quality variation with the asthma exacerbation incidence throughout the state over time. The goal is to utilize these readily available measures to allow real-time risk assessment for asthma exacerbations. GeoMedStat, a DSS previously developed for biosurveillance, will integrate these measures to monitor, analyze and report the real-time risk assessment for asthma exacerbation throughout the state.
Faruque, Fazlay↗
Application of the Combination Approach for Estimating Evapotranspiration in Puerto Rico
The ability to estimate short-term fluxes of water vapor from the land surface is important for validating latent heat flux estimates from high resolution remote sensing techniques. A new, relatively inexpensive method is presented for estimating t h e ground-based values of the surface latent heat flux or evapotranspiration.
Harmsen, Eric↗
Using Remote Sensing Data and Research Results for Urban Heat Island Mitigation
This paper provides information on the characteristics of the urban heat island, research designed to provide the data needed to develop effective urban heat island reduction strategies, and the development of local working groups to develop implementation plans. As background, an overview of research results on the urban heat island phenomenon and the resultant effect on energy usage and air quality will be explored. The use of more reflective roofing materials, paving materials, tree planting, and other initiatives will be explored as a basis for strategies to mitigate urban heat islands and improve the urban environment. Current efforts to use aircraft remote sensing data in Atlanta, Baton Rouge, Sacramento, and Salt Lake City and our work with non-profit organizations designated to lead public education and strategic development efforts will be presented. Efforts to organize working groups comprised of key stakeholders, the process followed in communicating research results, and methodology for soliciting feedback and incorporating ideas into local plans, policies and decision-making will be discussed. Challenges in developing and transferring data products and research results to stakeholders will be presented. It is our ultimate goal that such efforts be integrated into plans and/or decision models that encourage sustainable development.
Estes, Maury↗
The Urban Heat Island Phenomenon and Potential Mitigation Strategies
A survey of urban heat island research is provided to describe how heat islands develop, urban landscape and meteorological characteristics that facilitate development, use of aircraft remote sensing data, and why heat islands are of interest to planners, elected officials, and the public. The roles of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), other federal agencies, national laboratories and universities, state and local governments, and non-governmental organizations (NGOS) in studying the urban heat island effect and developing mitigation strategies are explored. Barriers that hamper mitigation efforts and case studies in Atlanta and Salt Lake City are discussed.
Estes, Maurice G., Jr.↗