Work

Assessing Large-Scale Healthcare Resource Accessibility Using Remote Sensing and Geospatial Analysis: A Case Study of Wildfire-Exposed Regions in Africa

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: . Wildfire smoke exposure is an emerging public health challenge across Africa, yet its interaction with healthcare accessibility remains poorly characterised. We developed the Health-Exposure-Resource Mismatch Index (HERMI), combining satellite-derived PM2.5, population density, and geocoded health facilities to quantify spatial imbalances between exposure and care. Nearly two-thirds of Africa’s population live in areas of mismatch, with severe hotspots in Angola, the Central African Republic, and South Sudan. Urban centres show lower mismatch despite higher exposure, underscoring the role of healthcare capacity in mitigating environmental risks. Although constrained by incomplete facility data and simplified accessibility measures, HERMI provides a scalable framework to identify intervention priorities and delivers actionable evidence for climate-resilient health planning across the continent.

Source: The international archives of the photogrammetry, remote sensing and spatial information sciences/International archives of the photogrammetry, remote sensing and spatial information sciences

DOI: 10.5194/isprs-archives-xlviii-4-w21-2025-13-2026

Authors: Ling Hu, Volker Hochschild, Harald Neidhardt

Institution: University of Tübingen

Language: English

Topic: Air Quality and Health Impacts

Subfield: Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis

Field: Environmental Science

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDGs: Good health and well-being, Reduced inequalities

Open Access status: diamond

OpenAlex ID: W7154706005