Cloud-based applications for accessing satellite Earth observations to support malaria early warning

Malaria epidemics can be triggered by fluctuations in temperature and precipitation that influence vector mosquitoes and the malaria parasite. Identifying and monitoring environmental risk factors can thus provide early warning of future outbreaks. Satellite Earth observations provide relevant measurements, but obtaining these data requires substantial expertise, computational resources, and internet bandwidth. To support malaria forecasting in Ethiopia, we developed software for Retrieving Environmental Analytics for Climate and Health (REACH). REACH is a cloud-based application for accessing data on land surface temperature, spectral indices, and precipitation using the Google Earth Engine (GEE) platform. REACH can be implemented using the GEE code editor and JavaScript API, as a standalone web app, or as package with the Python API. Users provide a date range and data for 852 districts in Ethiopia are automatically summarized and downloaded as tables. REACH was successfully used in Ethiopia to support a pilot malaria early warning project in the Amhara region. The software can be extended to new locations and modified to access other environmental datasets through GEE.

Michael C. Wimberly, Dawn M. Nekorchuk, Ramcharan R. Kankanala