Cleary Ekaterina Galkina, Patton Allison P, Wu Hsin-Ching, Xie Alan, Stubblefield Joseph, Mass William, Grinstein Georges, Koch-Weser Susan, Brugge Doug, Wong Carolyn
Center for Integration of Science and Industry, Bentley University, Waltham, MA, United States.
Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Institute, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ, United States.
JMIR Public Health Surveill. 2017 Apr 12;3(2):e16. doi: 10.2196/publichealth.7492.
Digital maps are instrumental in conveying information about environmental hazards geographically. For laypersons, computer-based maps can serve as tools to promote environmental health literacy about invisible traffic-related air pollution and ultrafine particles. Concentrations of these pollutants are higher near major roadways and increasingly linked to adverse health effects. Interactive computer maps provide visualizations that can allow users to build mental models of the spatial distribution of ultrafine particles in a community and learn about the risk of exposure in a geographic context.
The objective of this work was to develop a new software tool appropriate for educating members of the Boston Chinatown community (Boston, MA, USA) about the nature and potential health risks of traffic-related air pollution. The tool, the Interactive Map of Chinatown Traffic Pollution ("Air Pollution Map" hereafter), is a prototype that can be adapted for the purpose of educating community members across a range of socioeconomic contexts.
We built the educational visualization tool on the open source Weave software platform. We designed the tool as the centerpiece of a multimodal and intergenerational educational intervention about the health risk of traffic-related air pollution. We used a previously published fine resolution (20 m) hourly land-use regression model of ultrafine particles as the algorithm for predicting pollution levels and applied it to one neighborhood, Boston Chinatown. In designing the map, we consulted community experts to help customize the user interface to communication styles prevalent in the target community.
The product is a map that displays ultrafine particulate concentrations averaged across census blocks using a color gradation from white to dark red. The interactive features allow users to explore and learn how changing meteorological conditions and traffic volume influence ultrafine particle concentrations. Users can also select from multiple map layers, such as a street map or satellite view. The map legends and labels are available in both Chinese and English, and are thus accessible to immigrants and residents with proficiency in either language. The map can be either Web or desktop based.
The Air Pollution Map incorporates relevant language and landmarks to make complex scientific information about ultrafine particles accessible to members of the Boston Chinatown community. In future work, we will test the map in an educational intervention that features intergenerational colearning and the use of supplementary multimedia presentations.
数字地图有助于在地理上传递有关环境危害的信息。对于外行来说，基于计算机的地图可以作为工具，提高他们对与交通相关的无形空气污染和超细颗粒物的环境健康素养。这些污染物在主要道路附近的浓度较高，并且越来越多地与不良健康影响相关联。交互式计算机地图提供可视化效果，可让用户构建社区中超细颗粒物空间分布的心理模型，并了解地理背景下的暴露风险。
这项工作的目的是开发一种新的软件工具，用于向美国马萨诸塞州波士顿唐人街社区的成员宣传与交通相关的空气污染的性质和潜在健康风险。该工具即唐人街交通污染交互式地图（以下简称“空气污染地图”），是一个原型，可适用于在一系列社会经济背景下对社区成员进行教育的目的。
我们在开源的Weave软件平台上构建了这个教育可视化工具。我们将该工具设计为关于与交通相关的空气污染健康风险的多模式和跨代教育干预的核心。我们使用先前发布的每小时一次的高分辨率（20米）超细颗粒物土地利用回归模型作为预测污染水平的算法，并将其应用于波士顿唐人街的一个社区。在设计地图时，我们咨询了社区专家，以帮助根据目标社区中普遍存在的沟通方式定制用户界面。
该产品是一张地图，使用从白色到深红色的颜色渐变显示人口普查街区的平均超细颗粒物浓度。交互式功能允许用户探索和了解不断变化的气象条件和交通流量如何影响超细颗粒物浓度。用户还可以从多个地图图层中进行选择，例如街道地图或卫星视图。地图图例和标签均提供中文和英文版本，因此熟练掌握任何一种语言的移民和居民都可以使用。该地图既可以基于网络，也可以基于桌面。
空气污染地图纳入了相关语言和地标，使波士顿唐人街社区的成员能够获取有关超细颗粒物的复杂科学信息。在未来的工作中，我们将在以跨代共同学习和使用补充多媒体演示为特色的教育干预中测试该地图。
