Emerging trends on satellite-based applications in health: a synoptic view

This study examines the state of the art of satellite-based applications for human health. It deepens the main drivers and barriers to their diffusion and full-scale development. Living in a more globalised, intertwined, and technologically advanced world has opened the door to a more digital health system able to connect many actors, reach remote locations, and provide coverage at a global level, whose exploitation has become even more urgent due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Space technologies may be a valid asset to tackle future health challenges. Despite the clear linkage of the two domains, the literature lacks a holistic view of the phenomenon of the current adoption of space assets in the health domain. Moreover, the factors that limit or foster the development of satellite-based applications in health management and healthcare delivery are still unclear and require a thorough investigation. The framework on the relationship between space activities and global health applications elaborated by the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs has been adapted and populated with 86 business-cases gathered from a systematic literature review of the ESA public database. The findings were analysed to provide a comprehensive and in-depth view of the most relevant trends. The joint combination of satellite and digital technologies appears as the enabling factor to provide an effective service to professional end-users and improve the quality of health for patients. The importance of data integration from multiple satellite technologies and additional data is highlighted in many projects as the key success factor for developing effective applications. In addition, the technical, economic, organisational, socio-cultural, and political factors were explored in terms of barriers to or opportunities for the adoption of satellite-based applications for health. To this end, further information was gathered through a systematic literature review of 89 scientific articles and interviews with 8 internationally recognised experts. Results show how multiple factors could hamper the diffusion and success of the emerging applications, and how those factors should inform strategic decisions to foster the development of satellite-based applications in the future. This study may benefit academics, practitioners and public institutions to grasp the benefits and challenges in adopting satellite and geospatial data in health. It provides a systematic overview of the existing practices, highlighting barriers and opportunities to their diffusion. The proposed synoptic might be taken as a point of departure for building a wider analysis on the role of satellite-based solutions to foster a One Health approach.