Dear Colleagues,
The Institute for Space Applications & Remote Sensing (ISARS) of the
National Observatory of Athens (NOA) invites you to the
seminar:
Date: *Wednesday May 26, 2010, * Time: *13:00***
Location: *Seminar Room "Emilios Harlaftis" of NOA, Lofos Koufos, Palea
Penteli*
Speaker: *Prof. Gary Higgs (Saint Louis and Washington Universities) *
Title: *'*****Combining satellite surrogates with environmental GIS in
respiratory disease investigations'
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_Abstract_
The relation of environmental conditions and human health
epidemiological factors has been an issue of concern since the beginning
of environmental determinism around 14 AD. Recent studies have lead to
the acceptance that, among other factors, atmospheric composition is a
major determinant of quality of life and associated human health. In the
satellite era, the science of Remote Sensing further advanced the spatial
and global perspective of investigating relations between health and the
environment. This accomplishment has been achieved at the cost of an
enormously increasing amount of data available, which complicated the
analysis. The use of Geographical Information Systems (GIS)
facilitated comprehensive analysis of these relations because GIS
provides an effective tool for managing the variety of data involved in
environmental epidemiology (medical data, ground based measurements,
remote sensing data,...). GIS combined with remote sensing has been
extensively and effectively used to connect causes and results in modern
epidemiology by supporting and confirming the etiologies of infectious
deceases agents ranging from West Nile to encephalitis. In the field of
environmental ambient chronic/critical conditions GIS and remote sensing
applications have special significance since they integrate phenomena and
dynamics on the basis of the uniqueness of space, place, location and
relation as constrained by the environment.
_Professor Higgs_ is Director of the STUPP GIS Laboratory in the
Department of Public Policy at Saint Louis University. He holds also a
Research and lecturing position at the Washington University. He has
worked in the governmental and private sectors, and actively serves in
numerous professional and scholarly societies including the Urban
Regional and Information Systems Association, and the American Society of
Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing. He is engaged in applied research
concerning urban quality of life factors such as crime, health
conditions, neighborhood economics, and the technologies that manage
civic, metropolitan, and regional information systems. His current
research activity in the framework of a Fulbright fellowship focuses on
urban environmental quality and its relations to population activities.
Athanasios Rontogiannis
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Dr. Athanasios Rontogiannis
National Observatory of Athens
Institute for Space Applications & Remote Sensing
Metaxa and Vas. Pavlou str.
GR-15236 Penteli, GREECE
Tel: +30-2108109188 , Fax: +30-2106138343
e-mail : tronto@space.noa.gr
http://www.space.noa.gr/~tronto/=======================================================
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