Note from the Editors: Toxicogenomics Update

The Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS) is a welcomed cooperative in an era when we are becoming " data rich but knowledge poor. " With the proliferation of satellite platforms, each monitoring different characteristics of the earth's surface and atmosphere at varying resolutions, the task of using a combination of satellite databases has been intimidating and often not possible without large analytical effort. Also, one of the most pressing challenges across the field of environmental health is obtaining accurate exposure assessments. A system that can help integrate, for instance, meteorological, air, and water pollution and soil and food contamination will improve risk assessment. Remotely sensed data are especially useful in monitoring changes in broad area or earth system disturbances; two that are especially pertinent to disease emergence include global climate change and land use change. Many diseases or health outcomes are sensitive to climatic conditions , from mortality and morbidity due to extreme heat, cold, drought, or storms, to vector-or waterborne infectious diseases. One clear application for remotely observed data in climate-health studies is that of thermal mapping with high resolution thermal infrared aircraft (Lillesand et al. 2004). Looking at urban sprawl in aggregate, Kalnay and Cai (2003) estimated a mean surface warming due to urban sprawl and land-use change to be 0.27°C (0.49°F) for the continental United States. Thermal imagery has been combined with Landsat Thematic Mapper data in many cities; one example, Dallas, Texas, shows an urban heat island effect of 5–11°C compared to surrounding rural areas (Aniello et al. 1995). A shocking 22,000–35,000 heat-related deaths occurred across Europe during two weeks in August 2003 (IFRC 2004); if we are building cities that can raise temperatures by several degrees, we are certainly not helping future situations under climate change scenarios. Infectious disease epidemics occur at a local or sometimes regional scale, and one key challenge to accurate vulnerability analysis is incorporating land use change projections with future projections of global climate change. For example, Hurricane Mitch, a devastating storm that hit Central America in 1998, demonstrates the combined effects of land use and extreme weather: 9,600 people perished, widespread illness from water-and vector-borne diseases ensued, and 1 million people were left homeless. Areas with extensive deforestation, with settlements on degraded hillsides or floodplains, suffered the greatest morbidity and mortality (Cockburn et al. 1999). The importance of land-cover features as a buffer to severe floods emerged as …