$1M NASA Grant to Create Early Warning Systems for Infectious Diseases in Indonesia

A UMD researcher has received a $1.1 million grant from NASA to develop satellite-based systems that would help anticipate outbreaks of malaria and dengue in Indonesia, allowing health officials to allocate resources more effectively when these crises occur.

“Indonesia is one of the most vulnerable countries to environmental pollution and infectious diseases,” said Professor Tatiana Loboda, chair of the Department of Geographical Sciences and the project’s principal investigator. “We are hoping to reduce the burden on public health agencies by providing timely actionable forecasts of potential outbreaks of malaria and dengue using satellite imagery.”

Mosquito-borne disease patterns are shifting as temperatures rise and rainfall patterns change, while growing parasite drug resistance is making these diseases more difficult to control. Geographical scientists like Loboda examine how environmental changes drive disease patterns, bringing critical insight to where and when outbreaks are likely to occur.

This project builds on Loboda’s ongoing efforts to apply remote sensing to public health challenges. Since 2014, she has worked to bridge gaps between geospatial science and medicine, collaborating with medical researchers to monitor and forecast surges of malaria in Southeast Asia. In 2017, she joined a multi-institutional team funded by the National Institutes of Health to establish a Center of Excellence for Malaria Research in Myanmar.

Loboda’s team, including Associate Research Professor Dong Chen, will work in partnership with Malaria No More’s Institute for Health Modeling and Climate Solutions, the Indonesian private company KORIKA and the Indonesian Ministry of Health.

With the support of the grant award through NASA’s Earth Science Division, Loboda’s team will incorporate Earth observation into predictive models, dashboards and digital twin systems. The Indonesian government can then use these tools to strengthen outbreak preparedness, particularly in regions where health care systems are under pressure.