To survive and thrive, humans need clean air and water, good crop yields, moderate air temperatures, and a home free from disasters such as wildfires and floods. Putting any of these factors in jeopardy risks people's health. In 2016, almost one in every four global deaths occurred due to environmental conditions, according to the World Health Organization.

Researchers working on environmental health solutions need comprehensive, global data to better understand health hazards. NASA’s Earth-observing instruments measure and map events such as flooding, heatwaves, hurricanes, pollutants, and wildfires. NASA also curates sociological survey data that shed a direct light on the human cost of these environmental events, as well as track risks such as harmful chemical exposures that may not be visible to satellites.

Our data products useful for the study of environmental health factors include air quality and pollution studies, maps of hazardous waste sites, data about areas affected by extreme heat, and demographic and health surveys. This blend of Earth science and socioeconomic information helps researchers and leaders develop environmental health solutions backed up by data.