The identification of disease hot-spots will be coordinated through the Low Resolution Spatial Modelling Horizontal IntegrationTeam of which the specific objectives are:

1. To provide support to all EDEN partners for all aspects of low-spatial resolution satellite image processing and interpretation in the derivation of satellite- and climate-driven statistical and biological models of vector and disease distribution and abundance, incidence or prevalence.
2. To develop and apply techniques and standardised protocols for environmental change detection based on multi-temporal image analysis of 8km spatial resolution Pathfinder AVHRR data, aiming at identifying areas in Europe that have recently undergone changes of potential significance for emerging diseases.
3. To develop statistical models and "Risk Maps" of vector and disease distributionand abundance, incidence or prevalence, using a variety of multivariate methods (mainly based on discriminant analytical, maximum-likelihood methods). Once the important variables highlighted by the statistical models have been identified, changes in these key variables over time will be investigated.
4. To develop and apply advanced techniques for satellite image data fusion to combine the spatial and seasonal information from high- and low-resolution satellite sensors respectively, in order to characterise vector and disease habitats more precisely.