Abstract: Environmental conditions, including air, noise, and light pollution, as well as lack of green space, significantly affect human health and behavior. Traditional methods for assessing these exposures are often limited by subjective self-reporting and incomplete ground monitoring, and face challenges in collecting long-term, continuous data.
The Healthy Planet project aims to address these limitations through the use of satellite-based Earth observation technology. This approach provides unprecedented temporal and spatial resolution, enabling a more comprehensive understanding of the complex relationship between environmental exposures and health outcomes.
Our project integrates interdisciplinary expertise from health sciences, environmental and earth sciences, social sciences, aerospace and data sciences. By combining satellite data with individual health records, specifically using the extensive IDEFICS/I.Family cohort, we aim to conduct a feasibility study that fills current knowledge gaps. This work will provide new insights into the impact of environmental factors on health, while advancing large-scale, cost-effective research methods. In this talk, we will discuss our progress, including data integration challenges, methodological approaches, and broader implications for public health research.
Through this project, we aim not only to address pressing societal health issues, but also to contribute to the growing intersection of remote sensing-based technologies and health research, paving the way for future innovations in environmental exposure assessment.
About Nour Naaouf (BIPS): I have a Ph.D. in Cartography and Geoinformatics from Eötvös Loránd University-ELTE in Budapest, Hungary, and have started a postdoctoral position at the Leibniz Institute for Prevention Research and Epidemiology-BIPS in Bremen, Germany, since April 2024.I am working on the Healthy Planet Project, which focuses on using satellite-based data to understand the complex relationship between environmental conditions and human health and behavior.
About Rajini Nagarani (BIPS): I have earned my doctoral degree in Epidemiology and Health Sciences from the Tata Memorial Centre, India, in 2015, followed by a position as Scientific Officer at the same institute. I later pursued postdoctoral research at the Medical University of Innsbruck, Austria, and have been with the Leibniz Institute for Prevention Research & Epidemiology-BIPS in Bremen since 2018. Since 2022, I am leading the Molecular Epidemiology Unit, focusing on molecular markers and environmental exposures in disease etiology. My work advances environmental health research by leveraging molecular technologies to assess complex biological changes.
Zoom link for the talk: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86790103582?pwd=Q41t1Hm0P17uqAzEKV34235gl9No3b.1