East African Digital Solutions to Air Quality Network

过去几十年来，大多数东非城市的空气质量急剧下降，空气污染现在是威胁人类健康的主要环境风险因素。目前严重缺乏数据来评估东非的空气质量，从而量化其对人类健康的影响。东非的空气质量网络仍处于早期阶段，对空气污染物的长期和系统测量只在不到几个地点进行。数据中存在很大的空间和时间差距。从历史的角度来看，人们对2010年前的空气污染浓度知之甚少。由于缺乏历史数据，很难评估空气污染对人类健康的有害影响。这也给评估空气质量干预措施的有效性带来了挑战。因此，考虑到空气质量，很难做出关于基础设施的知情决定。这项提议形成了一个新的网络，共同制定战略和协议，将与东非城市地区空气污染有关的数据汇集在一起。它的目标是埃塞俄比亚(亚的斯亚贝巴)、肯尼亚(内罗毕)和乌干达(坎帕拉)的首都。将开发新的数据科学技术，将不同的数据流合成空间和时间上连贯的输出，可用于了解历史、当代和未来的空气质量。该提案将为利用新数据分析和大数据技术的力量提供路线图。为设计这一路线图，在第一阶段将举办三个高强度讲习班和穿插举行的虚拟会议。每个讲习班将解决一个关键的知识差距或发展挑战：-讲习班1：为评估空气污染的原因和影响而将东非的数据问题参数化(坎帕拉)-讲习班2：改进东非空气质量预报的大数据方法(亚的斯亚贝巴)-讲习班3：在分析空气质量科学方面建立更大的能力和能力(内罗毕)第一阶段的研究成果将使为改善空气质量制定量身定制的缓解战略成为可能。提案中制定的方法将可在整个东非城市地区翻译和推广。因此，该提案将有助于实现多个可持续发展目标，包括可持续发展目标3：健康和福祉，可持续发展目标11：可持续城市和社区，可持续发展目标17：为实现这些目标而建立的伙伴关系。为了确保该项目最大限度地发挥其潜力，它包括一系列广泛的研究翻译活动：与学术和非学术利益攸关方举办讲习班；一个专业设计的网站，将提供学术和非学术成果，包括开放源码的学术论文和演讲；针对一系列外部利益攸关方的简报，包括自上而下的治理和自下而上的基层组织。来自商界、学术界、治理和公众对科学的参与的项目合作伙伴将参加讲习班。它们是优步、亚马逊网络服务、PA咨询、坎帕拉首都城市管理局、非洲人口健康研究中心、伯明翰开放媒体、GCRF多危险城市灾害风险转移中心和艾伦·图灵研究所。他们为该项目提供了额外的102,951 GB的实物捐助。他们的加入扩大了现有技能，并将有助于在东非区域产生长期影响。

Air quality in most East African cities has declined dramatically over the last decades and it air pollution is now the leading environmental risk factor for human health. There is a critical lack of data to assess air quality in East Africa, and therefore to quantify its effect upon human health. Air quality networks in East Africa are still in their early days, with the long term and systematic measurement of air pollutants only available at less than a handful of sites. Large spatial and temporal gaps in data exist. From a historical perspective, very little is known of air pollution concentrations before 2010. The lack of historical data makes it extremely difficult to assess the deleterious effects of air pollution upon human health. It also poses challenges for assessing the efficacy of air quality interventions. Hence informed decisions about infrastructure, which take air quality into account are difficult to make. This proposal forms a new network to co-create strategy and protocols to bring together data that relate to air pollution in East African Urban areas. It targets the capitals of Ethiopia (Addis Ababa), Kenya (Nairobi) and Uganda (Kampala). New data science techniques will be developed to synthesize disparate data streams into spatially and temporally coherent outputs, which can be used to understand historic, contemporary and future air quality. The proposal will provide a road map to harness the power of new data analytics and big data technologies. To design this roadmap, three high intensity workshops and interspersed virtual meetings will be undertaken in Stage 1. Each workshop will tackle a key knowledge gap or development challenge: - Workshop 1: Parameterizing the data problem in East Africa for assessing the causes and effects of air pollution (Kampala)- Workshop 2: Big data approaches to improve East Africa air quality prediction (Addis Ababa)- Workshop 3: Creating greater capacity and capability in analytic air quality science (Nairobi) The Stage 1 research outcomes will enable the development of tailored mitigation strategies for improving air quality. The methodologies developed in the proposal will be translatable and scalable throughout urban East Africa. Hence, the proposal will help realise multiple sustainable development goals (SDGs), including SDG3: Good health and well-being, SDG11: Sustainable cities and communities, and SDG17: Partnerships for the goals. To ensure the project reaches its maximum potential, it includes an extensive array of research translation activities: workshops with academic and non-academic stakeholders; a professionally designed website, which will hold both academic and non-academic outputs including open source academic papers and presentations; briefing notes directed at a range of external stakeholders, including top down governance and bottom up grassroots organizations. Project partners from business, academia, governance and public engagement with science are involved and will attend the workshops. They are Uber, Amazon Web Services, PA Consulting, Kampala Capital City Authority, African Population Health Research Centre, Birmingham Open Media, GCRF Multi-Hazard Urban Disaster Risk Transitions Hub, and the Alan Turing Institute. They offer an additional £102,951 of in-kind contributions to the project. Their incorporation widens the available skillsets and will help deliver long-term impact in the East African region.