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ISRO to use GIS to identify mosquito-breeding areas

Bangalore: The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) does not always look skywards. Its technologies are down-to-earth too, helping to combat even mosquito menace.

After launching the application of space technology for healthcare in rural areas, ISRO now plans to use remote-sensing satellites to map mosquito-breeding areas in the country.

The organisation plans to initiate this concept of tele-epidemiology through a UN-ISRO workshop in October, L.S. Satyamurthy, Programme Director of Telemedicine at ISRO, told The Hindu on Saturday on the sidelines of the ninth annual conference of Indian Association of Endocrine Surgeons.

The idea is to use the geographical information system (GIS) to identify potential locations of vector-borne diseases and assist the health authorities in adopting preventive measures, he said.

“GIS can be used to address issues such as disease surveillance, control, monitoring and evaluation. Our responsibility in the immediate future is to provide technical information on these issues to the Union Ministry of Health, which in turn can use it for disease surveillance in various States,” Mr. Satyamurthy said. ISRO is already in talks with the National Institute of Communicable Diseases in New Delhi, which has a unit for integrated disease surveillance.

ISRO will organise a workshop on tele-epidemiology in association with the United Nations Outer Space Affairs at the Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Science, Lucknow, in October, he said.

National Institute of Advanced Studies (NIAS) Director K. Kasturirangan, who is also the former Chairman of ISRO, said tele-epidemiology was successfully being used in Bangladesh. Speaking to The Hindu at the conference, Dr. Kasturirangan said it was appropriate to identify locations of disease occurrence with advanced knowledge on the principles underlying the disease transmission dynamics.

“Vectors that spread diseases such as dengue, chikungunya and malaria thrive on water, vegetation, dwellings and environmental conditions. Mosquito control requires knowledge of the location of aquatic habitats suitable for mosquito larvae growth. But identifying these locations through conventional ground surveys is difficult and time consuming. It is appropriate to use satellite data for monitoring aquatic habitats, vegetation cover and human settlements and relate them with changing climatic conditions,” he added.

With a focus on application of space technology for healthcare, ISRO plans to introduce Satcom-based telemedicine technology in remote areas, Dr. Kasturirangan said.

This will help connect rural hospitals with super-speciality hospitals for tele-consultation and treatment and training of doctors.

It would also enable connectivity for mobile telemedicine units for rural health camps, especially in the areas of ophthalmology and community health besides tele-health support during disaster management, he said.

Pointing out that ISRO’s telemedicine network comprises 320 hospitals, including 267 district hospitals and health centres, Dr. Kasturirangan said over three lakh patients had been provided with tele-consultation and treatment.

An impact study conducted on 1,000 of these patients showed that there was a cost saving of 81 per cent, which meant that the patient spent only 19 per cent of the cost that they would have incurred on travel, stay and treatment, Dr. Kasturirangan added.

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