AN HISTORICAL-PERSPECTIVE ON THE APPLICATIONS OF REMOTE-SENSING TO PUBLIC-HEALTH

This brief paper reviews some basic results of almost 100 scientific papers produced in the 1970-1976 time period by the staff and contractors of the Health Applications Office, Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX. These papers were primarily concerned with the use of sensor data collected from satellites and aircraft for environmental analysis, and ultimately for application to human and animal health. Comment is made on early problem solving, instrumentation development, politics and criticisms of early research efforts, as well as successes and dismal failures which occurred. Philosophical references are made to the sizeable number of problems which still exist in the health field and which might be amenable to solution by the judicious use of remote sensing.