Dwarakanath Divya, Milic Andelija, Beggs Paul J, Wraith Darren, Davies Janet M
School of Biomedical Science, Faculty of Health, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Queensland 4059, Australia.
School of Natural Sciences, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales 2109, Australia.
World Allergy Organ J. 2024 Nov 19;17(12):100997. doi: 10.1016/j.waojou.2024.100997. eCollection 2024 Dec.
Contemporary airborne pollen records underpin environmental health warnings, yet how pollen monitoring networks are sustained is poorly understood. This study investigated by whom and how pollen monitoring sites across the globe are managed and funded.
Coordinators listed in the Worldwide Map of Pollen Monitoring Stations were invited to complete a digital questionnaire designed to survey the people and organisations involved, types, and duration of funding sources, as well as uses, purpose, and sharing of pollen information. Quantitative data were analysed by descriptive statistics and open text responses were examined by qualitative thematic analysis.
Eighty-four of 241 (35%) coordinators from 37 countries responded. Universities (42%) and hospitals/health services (29%) were most commonly responsible for monitoring. Most sites involved employees (87%) in pollen monitoring, of whom many were part-time (41%) or casual (11%), as well as students (29%) and volunteers (6%). Pollen monitoring was additional to core duties for over one-third of sites (35%), and 25% reported pollen monitoring was an in-kind contribution. Whilst funding for pollen monitoring was often sourced from government agencies (33%), government research grants (24%), or non-government grants (8%), 92% reported more than 1 funding source, and 99% reported dependence on "partnerships or grants requiring co-contributions", indicating a complex resourcing structure, of short duration (median 3 years). Common reasons why airborne pollen was monitored included clinical allergy, population environmental health, aerobiology and forecasting. Climate change, research, and social duty were also referenced.
Aerobiological monitoring is currently sustained by complex, insecure, and insufficient resourcing, as well as reliance on volunteerism. There are multiple direct, health-related, and other important uses of aerobiology data, that are aligned to multiple dimensions of sustainability. Evidence from this study can be used to inform the design of strategies to sustain the generation of aerobiology data.
当代空气中花粉记录是环境健康预警的基础，但人们对花粉监测网络如何得以维持却知之甚少。本研究调查了全球花粉监测站点的管理和资金来源方及方式。
邀请了《花粉监测站全球地图》中列出的协调员填写一份数字问卷，旨在调查相关人员和组织、资金来源的类型和持续时间，以及花粉信息的用途、目的和共享情况。定量数据采用描述性统计进行分析，开放式文本回复采用定性主题分析进行审查。
来自37个国家的241名协调员中有84名（35%）做出了回应。大学（42%）和医院/卫生服务机构（29%）最常负责监测工作。大多数站点的花粉监测工作涉及员工（87%），其中许多是兼职（41%）或临时（11%）员工，还有学生（29%）和志愿者（6%）。超过三分之一的站点（35%）将花粉监测作为核心职责之外的工作，25%的站点报告称花粉监测是一种实物贡献。虽然花粉监测资金通常来自政府机构（33%）、政府研究资助（24%）或非政府资助（8%），但92%的站点报告有不止一个资金来源，99%的站点报告依赖“需要共同出资的伙伴关系或资助”，这表明资金结构复杂且持续时间短（中位数为3年）。监测空气中花粉的常见原因包括临床过敏、人群环境卫生、空气生物学和预报。气候变化、研究和社会责任也被提及。
目前，空气生物学监测因资源复杂、不稳定且不足，以及对志愿服务的依赖而得以维持。空气生物学数据有多种直接的、与健康相关的及其他重要用途，这些用途与可持续性的多个维度相一致。本研究的证据可用于为维持空气生物学数据生成的策略设计提供参考。
