![My Air, My Health: An HHS/EPS Challenge [image courtesy Innocentive].](http://www.cccblog.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/ic9932947_2.jpeg "My Air, My Health: An HHS/EPS Challenge [image courtesy Innocentive].")
The U.S Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) — notably its Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) and National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) – together with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) yesterday launched a nationwide prize competition to develop personal air pollution and health sensors. In particular, the HHS and EPA are seeking to bring health and computing researchers together to develop highly portable sensors that can measure air quality data while monitoring a person’s physiological response to air pollution. Proposals are due by October 5 — and up to four finalists will receive $15,000 and be invited to develop their proposals into working prototypes, with the eventual winner receiving a $100,000 grand prize.
How do we connect personal devices for testing and reporting of both air quality and linked physiological data? Such a system would enable not only high-resolution mapping of pollutant concentrations, but also support research and reporting of individual physiological responses related to the pollutant.
[We] envision a future in which powerful, affordable, and portable sensors provide a rich awareness of environmental quality, moment-to-moment physiological changes, and long-term health outcomes. Health care will be connected to the whole environment, improving diagnosis, treatment, and prevention at all levels.
Successful solutions will require significant computing expertise, spanning sensors and monitors, mobile devices, and aspects of data collection, management, analysis, and visualization (details following the link…):
» Read more: My Air, My Health: Developing a Personal Pollution Sensor
