PULSE is working with five global cities to harvest open city data, and data from health systems, urban and remote sensors, personal devices and social media to enable evidence-driven and timely management of public health events and processes.
The PULSE project focuses on the link between air pollution and the respiratory disease of Asthma, and between physical inactivity and the metabolic disease of Type 2 Diabetes. The different pilot sites will be working toward the same direction but however will generally be inclined to slightly prioritize one focus:
- Type 2 diabetes: Behavioural risks associated (i.e. reduced exercise/physical activity at home or in public places). This is associated with higher risk of T2D onset in a dose-response relationship. We will use unobtrusive sensing/data collection and volunteered data to collect baseline measures of health and wellbeing, and track and model mobility at home and across the city (including time, frequency and route of mode of transit and/or movement).
- Asthma: Environmental/exposure risks (i.e. exposure to air pollution, especially with regard to near roadway air pollution). This is associated with higher risk of Asthma onset and exacerbation. We will use unobtrusive sensing/data collection and volunteered data to collect baseline measures of health and wellbeing, and real-time air quality/climate modelling using chemical transport and dispersion models, satellites, fixed and mobile sensors to ascertain concentration levels and climate conditions, and predict patterns of interaction at the urban scale.
