SCC-PG: Sustainable Food Access through Sensing, Data Analytics, and Community Engagement

食物沙漠，通常被定义为难以购买到负担得起的高质量新鲜食物的地区，并不局限于城市或农村地区，而更多地表明服务不足的社区、低收入家庭和少数民族社区。食物沙漠不仅是一个健康问题，也是一个社区发展和公平问题。获得安全和营养食品是一项基本的个人权利。该项目旨在解决大里士满地区的食物沙漠问题，通过参与广泛的食物获取相关利益相关者，利用数据分析和先进智能技术的力量，实现可持续的食物获取计划，为城市居民带来更高水平的生活质量和健康。利用智能技术改善大部分社区的食物获取并不是一项简单的任务。为了实现这些技术的潜力，有许多问题需要回答，包括：(1)需要哪些数据来更好地理解和帮助解决食物沙漠问题。(2)食物沙漠的社会和经济影响是什么？(3)在某些地理区域造成粮食获取受限的主要因素是什么？(4)哪些技术和网络基础设施可以帮助解决粮食获取问题？(5)如何鼓励微型企业帮助解决食品可及性有限的问题？(6)如何有效地呈现食物沙漠数据，帮助决策？该规划项目将召集工程、生命科学、社会工作和政府政策学院的核心科学家小组，与社区领导人和利益相关者合作，通过定量和定性评估确定里士满及其邻近社区可持续食品获取的主要挑战，并为社区可持续食品获取计划创造知识和工具。这将通过以下方式实现：(1)对食物沙漠问题所带来的社区挑战有一个基本的了解；(2)更好地了解导致食物获取问题的因素；(3)认识到社区中各种类型的数据收集，以应对食物获取挑战；(4)衍生数据分析技术，帮助确定有效的解决方案并评估其影响；(5)促进定制化传感、数据管理。网络基础设施和智能技术解决方案，为可持续粮食获取制定强有力的计划。该计划将提供一种可以推广到其他城市和社区的研究和开发模式。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Food deserts, generally defined as areas in which it is difficult to buy an affordable, high-quality fresh food, are not exclusive to urban or rural areas, but more indicative of under-served communities, low-income households, and minority neighborhoods. Food deserts are not only a health issue but also a community development and equity issue. Access to safe and nutritious food is a fundamental individual right. This project aims to address the food desert problem in Greater Richmond area, by engaging a wide range of food access-related stakeholders and utilizing the power of data analytics and advanced smart technologies to achieve sustainable food access program, leading to higher levels of quality of life and health for the city citizens.Utilizing smart technologies to improve food access for a large segment of the community is not a straightforward task. There are many questions to be answered in order to realize the potential of these technologies, including: (1) what are the data needed to better understand and help address the food desert problem. (2) What are the social and economic impacts of food deserts? (3) What are the main factors contributing to limited food access in certain geographical areas? (4) What are the technologies and cyber-infrastructure that can help address the food access problem? (5) How to encourage micro-businesses to help tackle limited food accessibility? (6) How to present food desert data efficiently to help in decision-making? This planning project will assemble a core group of scientists in engineering, life sciences, social work and government policy colleges to engage with community leaders and stakeholders, to identify through both quantitative and qualitative assessment the key challenges to sustainable food access in Richmond and its adjoining communities, and create the knowledge and tools for community-based sustainable food access program. This will be achieved by (1) developing a fundamental understanding of challenges facing communities due to food desert problem, (2) developing a better understanding of the factors contributing to food access problem, (3) recognizing various types of data collection in communities for addressing food access challenge, (4) deriving data-analytics techniques that can help identify effective solutions and evaluate their impacts, and (5) facilitate customized sensing, data-management, cyber-infrastructure and smart technologies solutions to develop a robust program for sustainable food access. The proposed plan will offer a research and development model that can be extended to other cities and communities.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.