Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
3.3.1.3 Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM)
The Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) (Goddard Space Flight
Center 2009a) includes five sensors: the Precipitation Radar (PR), TRMM
Microwave Imager (TMI), the Visible and Infrared Scanner (VIRS), the Cloud
and Earth Radiant Energy Sensor (CERES), and the Lightning Imaging
Sensor (LIS). TMI is the sensor responsible for providing rainfall information
by measuring the intensity of microwave radiation at five distinct frequen-
cies ranging between 10.7 and 85.5 GHz. TRMM is a collaborative mission
between the United States and Japan. As precipitation is the most important
environmental determinants for most infectious diseases, TRMM has made
a definitive contribution to reducing morbidity and mortality due to infec-
tious disease in humans.
3.3.1.4 Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM)
The next generation satellite to measure global precipitation is the Global
Precipitation Measurement (GPM) mission (Goddard Space Flight Center
2009b). The GPM will consist of a core satellite and up to eight satellites to
form a constellation. It will extend precipitation measurements to higher lati-
tudes and implement more frequent sampling. It is expected to be launched
around 2013 or 2014. GPM will provide high temporal resolution precipita-
tion data with greater accuracy and more complete coverage.
3.3.1.5 Terra and Aqua
The Terra and Aqua missions are part of the Earth Observing System (EOS),
which gathers information about the Earth's ecosystem, including its land,
ocean, and atmosphere. Terra was launched in late 1999 and started pro-
viding data in early 2000. Nearly 2 years later, Aqua was launched and
began providing complementary data. The Moderate-resolution Imaging
Spectroradiometer (MODIS) (Goddard Space Flight Center 2009c), a key
instrument onboard Terra and Aqua, has 36 bands spanning from the vis-
ible to the long-wave infrared. Two of these bands have a 250 m resolution
and are dedicated for the study of land, cloud, and aerosol boundaries.
Land, cloud, and aerosol properties are collected by five other bands with
500 m resolution. The remaining 1-km bands are devoted to observations
pertaining to the atmosphere, surface parameters, and water vapor. Kiang
et al. (2006) has used several MODIS products, including surface reflectance,
the Land Surface Temperature (LST), the Normalized Difference Vegetation
Index (NDVI), and water vapor, to estimate and predict malaria prevalence.
The Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer
(ASTER) (Jet Propulsion Laboratory 2009a) is also onboard the EOS Terra
spacecraft. ASTER operates from the visible to the thermal infrared spectrum
