US Ignite, a nonprofit organization promoting the creation of next-generation Internet applications, recognized the innovative work of Institute Scholar Emeritus David Lary with an award for “best use of locavore infrastructure.”
Dr. Lary’s Institute-supported project established a framework for collecting data on air quality and using it to produce a detailed global snapshot of PM2.5 pollutants, which are associated with health conditions such as asthma, lung cancer, and heart disease. Imagine zooming in on a map of the world that shows pollution levels on a neighborhood scale.
Building on this work, Dr. Lary is developing an app that could benefit people who have pollutant-triggered conditions by alerting them when air quality in their area presents a health risk. Called THRIVE (Timely Health Indicators using Remote Sensing & Innovation for the Vitality of the Environment), the app could also give hospital emergency departments and health care providers advance warning of a potential surge in respiratory and cardiac cases.
Learn more about THRIVE in Dr. Lary’s presentation at the US Ignite Application Summit: