Earth Science Gallery
2002 EARTH SCIENCE VIDEOTAPES
Tape Title
Record ID
Date Produced
TRT:
Synopsis
REMOTE SENSING TRACKS WEST NILE VIRUS G02-077 10/08/02 00:11:46 NASA scientists are developing tools that may one day allow public health officials to better track and predict the spread of West Nile Virus. Scientists hope to better understand the seasonal migration of this emerging infectious disease in the United States, and expand their research to other parts of the globe.
Mosquitoes transmit the virus from infected birds to other birds, animals, and humans. Variations in temperature and vegetation levels dictate where these mosquitoes and birds thrive, giving NASA scientists and health officials a method of early detection for possible disease outbreaks. Instruments aboard satellites deliver temperature and vegetation distribution data over time. Scientists then interpret seasonal variations in areas ripe for mosquitoes and West Nile Virus.
The goal of this research is to combine satellite data with West Nile case data to form detailed risk maps and databases for distinct regions of the U.S. Public health officials will be able to use these maps to help prepare them for virus detection and prevention before the peak season occurs.
TAPE CONTENTS:
ITEM (1): The Spread of West Nile Virus in The U.S. - West Nile Virus first appeared in the Western Hemisphere in New York during the summer of 1999, after milder than normal weather allowed mosquito larvae to survive the winter. Since then, the virus has infected humans in 34 states, the District of Columbia, and parts of Canada.
Credit: CDC
ITEM (2): How to Build a Risk Map: Step 1) Temperature, and Step 2) Vegetation - Mosquitoes and birds that carry West Nile Virus require very specific environmental conditions to thrive. As temperature and precipitation levels rise and fall throughout the year, these conditions "migrate." Satellite instruments measure land surface temperature and vegetation distribution from space, giving scientists a unique perspective from which to monitor seasonal changes in habitat. These images show data taken by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) instrument, on board the Polar Orbiting Earth Science (POES) series of satellites. The first image shows land surface temperature data over a twelve-month period. Red indicates high temperatures, and blue indicates low. The second image shows vegetation index levels over the same twelve-month period. Green indicates high vegetation density, which is a good indicator of precipitation and moisture levels. Yellow and brown indicate lower levels of vegetation density.
Credit: NASA
ITEM (3): How to Build a Risk Map: Step 3) Infected Crows - Across the country, crows and other wild birds have been infected with West Nile Virus. State health departments, in cooperation with the CDC, have kept record of infected birds over the past four years. Health officials use regional maps of infected crow cases to determine where the virus is most prevalent.
Credit: NY DOH/CDC
ITEM (4): How to Build a Risk Map: Simulation - This sequence is a simulation of how scientists and health officials have combined disease control data and satellite data to determine areas at risk for West Nile Virus. Data source: International Research Partnership for Infectious Diseases (INTREPID).
Credit: NASA/INTREPID
ITEM (5): Satellites Tracking Mosquitoes - Staying ahead of West Nile Virus may be more complicated than scientists predicted. Over thirty species of mosquito have tested positive for the virus, and a number of these have been implicated in its transmission from animals to humans. Each of these species, or vectors, has its own set of prime conditions for survival and reproduction, allowing them to carry the virus to such widespread geographical locations as the Gulf coast, Canada, and California.
Satellites can "track" mosquitoes by focusing on the geographical regions of the species' most favorable conditions. Conventional techniques in mosquito tracking have already produced maps showing these favorable regions. Side by side, recent satellite data matches the published mosquito habitats almost identically.
Habitats determined by satellite data are shown in red. Mosquito distribution maps determined by means other than satellite surveillance are outlined in yellow. The four species represented here have tested positive for West Nile Virus in each of the past four years. They are: Culex salinarius, Culex pipiens, Culex restuans, and Aedes vexans. Data source: International Research Partnership for Infectious Diseases (INTREPID).
Credit: NASA/INTREPID
ITEM (6): Risk Maps at Use
- Earth system satellites and remote sensing, along with interdisciplinary efforts on the ground, may one day be able to pinpoint areas at risk for West Nile Virus before an outbreak occurs. With accurate and timely risk maps, people on the front lines of public health will be able to make critical decisions about where and when to spray for mosquitoes. Scientists hope that communities will soon be able to constrain the virus' peak season, and better prepare for next year's season.
Credit: NY DOH/CDC
ITEM (7): Global Implications
- NASA scientists and public health officials are teaming up to study other infectious diseases such as Rift Valley fever, dengue fever, and malaria. Early detection of disease outbreaks is increasingly important in parts of the world where health resources are limited. Like West Nile Virus, these diseases are extremely sensitive to changes in climate. Satellite technology allows scientists to observe these changes with tremendous accuracy and a global scope.
NASA's public health initiatives are made in conjunction with federal, state, and local public health agency initiatives. NASA is planning a joint public health and Earth Science peer review with the agencies whose responsibilities are to address national concerns over West Nile Virus. These agencies include the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institutes of Health, Environmental Protection Agency, United States Geological Survey and state health departments.
Credit: NASA
[1999-2002 Map of
U.S. of WNV in Humans Movie]
[
Satellite Map of North America (showing land surface temperature changes over one year) Movie]
NOTE: The material advertised on this page is a "Video File" and is strictly recommended for the media and production companies. This is NOT a finished production but does contain some narration.
[HOME]
[Return to the Earth Science Catalog]
[How to order videotapes]
Earth Science Gallery
2002 EARTH SCIENCE VIDEOTAPES |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
Tape Title | Record ID | Date Produced | TRT: | Synopsis |
| REMOTE SENSING TRACKS WEST NILE VIRUS | G02-077 | 10/08/02 | 00:11:46 | NASA scientists are developing tools that may one day allow public health officials to better track and predict the spread of West Nile Virus. Scientists hope to better understand the seasonal migration of this emerging infectious disease in the United States, and expand their research to other parts of the globe. Mosquitoes transmit the virus from infected birds to other birds, animals, and humans. Variations in temperature and vegetation levels dictate where these mosquitoes and birds thrive, giving NASA scientists and health officials a method of early detection for possible disease outbreaks. Instruments aboard satellites deliver temperature and vegetation distribution data over time. Scientists then interpret seasonal variations in areas ripe for mosquitoes and West Nile Virus. The goal of this research is to combine satellite data with West Nile case data to form detailed risk maps and databases for distinct regions of the U.S. Public health officials will be able to use these maps to help prepare them for virus detection and prevention before the peak season occurs. |
TAPE CONTENTS: |
||||
| ITEM (1): The Spread of West Nile Virus in The U.S. - West Nile Virus first appeared in the Western Hemisphere in New York during the summer of 1999, after milder than normal weather allowed mosquito larvae to survive the winter. Since then, the virus has infected humans in 34 states, the District of Columbia, and parts of Canada. Credit: CDC | ||||
| ITEM (2): How to Build a Risk Map: Step 1) Temperature, and Step 2) Vegetation - Mosquitoes and birds that carry West Nile Virus require very specific environmental conditions to thrive. As temperature and precipitation levels rise and fall throughout the year, these conditions "migrate." Satellite instruments measure land surface temperature and vegetation distribution from space, giving scientists a unique perspective from which to monitor seasonal changes in habitat. These images show data taken by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) instrument, on board the Polar Orbiting Earth Science (POES) series of satellites. The first image shows land surface temperature data over a twelve-month period. Red indicates high temperatures, and blue indicates low. The second image shows vegetation index levels over the same twelve-month period. Green indicates high vegetation density, which is a good indicator of precipitation and moisture levels. Yellow and brown indicate lower levels of vegetation density. Credit: NASA | ||||
| ITEM (3): How to Build a Risk Map: Step 3) Infected Crows - Across the country, crows and other wild birds have been infected with West Nile Virus. State health departments, in cooperation with the CDC, have kept record of infected birds over the past four years. Health officials use regional maps of infected crow cases to determine where the virus is most prevalent. Credit: NY DOH/CDC | ||||
| ITEM (4): How to Build a Risk Map: Simulation - This sequence is a simulation of how scientists and health officials have combined disease control data and satellite data to determine areas at risk for West Nile Virus. Data source: International Research Partnership for Infectious Diseases (INTREPID). Credit: NASA/INTREPID | ||||
| ITEM (5): Satellites Tracking Mosquitoes - Staying ahead of West Nile Virus may be more complicated than scientists predicted. Over thirty species of mosquito have tested positive for the virus, and a number of these have been implicated in its transmission from animals to humans. Each of these species, or vectors, has its own set of prime conditions for survival and reproduction, allowing them to carry the virus to such widespread geographical locations as the Gulf coast, Canada, and California. Satellites can "track" mosquitoes by focusing on the geographical regions of the species' most favorable conditions. Conventional techniques in mosquito tracking have already produced maps showing these favorable regions. Side by side, recent satellite data matches the published mosquito habitats almost identically. Habitats determined by satellite data are shown in red. Mosquito distribution maps determined by means other than satellite surveillance are outlined in yellow. The four species represented here have tested positive for West Nile Virus in each of the past four years. They are: Culex salinarius, Culex pipiens, Culex restuans, and Aedes vexans. Data source: International Research Partnership for Infectious Diseases (INTREPID). Credit: NASA/INTREPID | ||||
| ITEM (6): Risk Maps at Use - Earth system satellites and remote sensing, along with interdisciplinary efforts on the ground, may one day be able to pinpoint areas at risk for West Nile Virus before an outbreak occurs. With accurate and timely risk maps, people on the front lines of public health will be able to make critical decisions about where and when to spray for mosquitoes. Scientists hope that communities will soon be able to constrain the virus' peak season, and better prepare for next year's season. Credit: NY DOH/CDC | ||||
| ITEM (7): Global Implications - NASA scientists and public health officials are teaming up to study other infectious diseases such as Rift Valley fever, dengue fever, and malaria. Early detection of disease outbreaks is increasingly important in parts of the world where health resources are limited. Like West Nile Virus, these diseases are extremely sensitive to changes in climate. Satellite technology allows scientists to observe these changes with tremendous accuracy and a global scope. NASA's public health initiatives are made in conjunction with federal, state, and local public health agency initiatives. NASA is planning a joint public health and Earth Science peer review with the agencies whose responsibilities are to address national concerns over West Nile Virus. These agencies include the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institutes of Health, Environmental Protection Agency, United States Geological Survey and state health departments. Credit: NASA | ||||
[1999-2002 Map of U.S. of WNV in Humans Movie] [ Satellite Map of North America (showing land surface temperature changes over one year) Movie]
NOTE: The material advertised on this page is a "Video File" and is strictly recommended for the media and production companies. This is NOT a finished production but does contain some narration.
[HOME] [Return to the Earth Science Catalog] [How to order videotapes]