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Book Review
Remote Sensing and Geographic
Information Systems in Epidemiology
Edited by Simon I. Hay, Sarah E. Randolph, and David J. Rogers
Academic Press, London, 2000, 357 pages
The applications of remote sensing and geographic information systems
(GIS) to vector-borne and helminthic diseases have progressed far beyond
the pretty pictures which dominated their early use. As Wood et al. indicate
in the last chapter, the number of papers in the area has increased drastically
over the last decade, in number and sophistication. The editors of this
special volume of Advances in Parasitology have been in the forefront
of applying statistical and biological approaches to the mapping of vector-borne
diseases and have brought together experts to review existing knowledge,
identify gaps in understanding, and describe future applications of these
powerful approaches.
This book is a timely overview of satellite imagery, GIS, and spatial
statistics. The emphasis is on vector-borne diseases, with one chapter
devoted to helminthic diseases. With the exception of the chapter on spatial
statistics and GIS, there is little mention of other epidemiologic applications
(e.g., GIS and cancer, AIDS, and environmental health). The book is divided
into three parts: three introductory chapters describing the methodology;
four chapters which review the applications and provide examples from
the authors’ experiences in studying African trypanosomiases, malaria,
tick-borne diseases, and human helminthic diseases; and three concluding
chapters which describe environmental variables, disease risk forecasting,
and the education about and future of remote sensing in human health.
Although remote sensing, GIS, and spatial statistics have been reviewed
separately elsewhere, the encompassing review, the inclusion of lists
of URLs, and the extensive references make the introductory chapters timely
and instructive for new users. The audiences that will benefit most from
the book include researchers and public health administrators who want
to integrate these tools into research, surveillance, and control efforts.
This audience, as well as more experienced users, can gain much from the
chapters that provide examples of specific applications derived from deep
understanding of the biology of disease. The chapters by Rogers, Randolph,
and Brooker and Michael, in particular, are based their own research and
expertise in trypanosomiasis, tick-borne diseases, and helminthic diseases,
respectively.
Remote sensing and GIS are particularly relevant to emerging infectious
diseases. The chapter entitled Forecasting Disease Risk for Epidemic Preparedness
provides a road map for developing early warning systems. While this chapter,
like the rest of the book, is clearly written by advocates of the applications
of remote sensing and GIS, the authors remain aware of critical issues,
such as the distinction between statistical and biological models and
the notion that insights gained by false negatives and positives predicted
by models are as important as successful predictions. Other issues that
have hampered more extensive applications of remote sensing and GIS to
vector-borne diseases include lack of training, gaps in data (quality
and quantity, particularly of epidemiologic and parasitologic data), inadequate
tools for data gathering, and limits on management and understanding.
This book goes a long way to address these issues and is likely to lead
to more and improved applications of remote sensing and GIS.
Uriel Kitron
University of Illinois
Urbana, Illinois, USA
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