I-Corps: Translation Potential of a Web-based Tool for Multi-dimensional Data Integration and Population Health Prediction

The broader impact of this I-Corps project is based on the development of a geographic information system-based tool that combines geospatial and temporal data with statistical analysis to comprehensively investigate the complicated relationships underlying the social determinants of health. This solution can be used to empower users to contribute data and participate in research, to inform community leaders about local issues that enable effective advocacy, and to facilitate the implementation of evidence-based preventive and corrective actions. The potential advantages of this solution include the accurate identification of causes of adverse health conditions in a specific locality and the ability to target resource allocations for maximum societal benefit. The broad applicability of this tool has the potential to address environmental threats and improve human health across communities. This I-Corps project utilizes experiential learning coupled with a first-hand investigation of the industry ecosystem to assess the translation potential of the technology. The solution is based on the development of an integrated and user-friendly web-based platform that contains more than 200 datasets related to climate change, pollution, human health indicators, justice indices, and socio-economic factors. This technology offers a new collection of novel tools for online data analyses and interpretation and offers an open Application Programming Interface (API) to allow citizen-scientists to collect and directly submit data on hazards and exposures using mobile applications, federal-referenced air monitors, weather stations, etc. This innovative approach focuses on making information available to end-users through a web-based graphical interface where users can investigate datasets to discover factors that co-occur in geographical locations to expose causative or correlative factors related to human health and societal well-being. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.