Over one million new cases of malaria are reported each year, and more than 80% are in Sub-Saharan Africa. An effective surveillance tool to monitor vector-borne diseases like malaria is needed to facilitate efficient control and mitigation activities. This paper discusses the potential of remote sensing and Geographic Information System (GIS) technologies for monitoring and mapping malaria risk. Background research includes a discussion of the malaria disease vector, a basic theory of remote sensing, especially radar technology, and a review of the use of remote sensing for disease monitoring and mapping. These are followed by a case study using multi-temporal RADARSAT-1 imagery for mapping malaria risk in coastal Kenya.; This work demonstrates the potential of remote sensing for assessing disease presence and risk, and will be of particular interest to health officials and international development specialists. It shows how critical environmental factors can be detected with satellite imagery, and how GIS technology can be used to map potential disease risk to human populations.
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