Unit 3
Session duration: 6 academic hours, including:
- Lecture: 2 h,
- Practical workshop: 3 h,
- Q&A: 1h
Learning objectives
By the end of this unit, students will be able to:
- Identify key technologies used in environmental monitoring (e.g., satellite imaging, remote sensors, IoT).
- Describe how digital tools support data collection, analysis, and visualization for environmental health.
- Access and interpret open datasets related to air quality, water safety, and climate indicators.
- Evaluate strengths and limitations of digital monitoring for health risk assessments.
- Apply digital platforms in designing a basic environmental health alert system.
Hybrid session format: self-paced digital prep + instructor-led in-person workshop
Focus: experiential data exploration and low-code digital visualization tools
Inclusivity & sustainability focus:
- Builds digital literacy and open-data fluency.
- Highlights technology accessibility gaps between regions.
- Encourages practical application for local policymaking and action.
Discussion questions:
1. What are the most important environmental parameters to monitor for public health?
2. How reliable and accessible are open-source climate and health data?
3. What is the role of satellite imagery in early warning systems?
4. How do IoT and mobile sensors contribute to real-time environmental health data?
5. What are ethical/privacy concerns in environmental data tracking?
The instructor:
- Demonstrates live examples using Copernicus, NASA EarthData, and AQICN air quality platforms.
- Explains data lifecycle: from sensors to public health dashboards.
- Guides practical exercise on mapping pollution trends using WHO/OurWorldInData.
Students:
- Conduct data queries on 2 different platforms (e.g., satellite + ground station data).
- Participate in group work: design a basic “Digital Health Dashboard” mock-up.
- Present dashboard prototype and justify the indicators chosen.
- Share and critique visualizations and interpretations from peers.
Assignments
Before the session: 1) Watch short tutorial: “Using Copernicus Climate Data Store” (ECMWF, 2023) - https://ecmwf-projects.github.io/copernicus-training-c3s/reanalysis-temp-record.html; 2) Review WHO Air Quality Database Overview - https://www.who.int/data/gho/data/themes/air-pollution/who-air-quality-database/2022#:~:text=The%20WHO%20air%20quality%20database,a%20whole%2C%20rather%20than%20for.
During the session: 1) Complete hands-on exercise (data extraction, visualization); 2) Group task: build a mock-up of the Environmental Health Dashboard.
After the session: 1) Submit Diary #3: “How digital technologies enhance (or limit) environmental health action in my country” 2) Optional: Upload dashboard visuals to Moodle
Recommended reading & resources:
- WHO Air Quality Guidelines, 2021 - https://www.who.int/news-room/feature-stories/detail/what-are-the-who-air-quality-guidelines;
- Copernicus Climate Data Store: https://climate.copernicus.eu/climate-data-store;
- NASA EarthData: https://search.earthdata.nasa.gov/
- AQICN Real-time Air Quality Index - https://aqicn.org/map/world/
- WHO: “Digital Technologies and Health” Technical Brief, 2022: https://www.who.int/teams/health-product-and-policy-standards/assistive-and-medical-technology/digital-health-and-innovation---global;
- UNEP: Digital Transformations: https://www.unep.org/topics/digital-transformations;
- OurWorldInData.org: Environment section: https://ourworldindata.org/;