Exploring the application of integrated datasets from various disciplines for improving policy, decision-making, and public health outcomes. Develop and implement methodologies and protocols that leverage data for innovative purposes.
Related Projects
Urban Policy Interventions to Reduce Traffic Emissions and Traffic-Related Air Pollution: A Systematic Evidence Map (Project Number Pending)
Lead: Texas A&M Transportation Insitute
As the urban population continues to grow, a greater quantity of people risk exposure to traffic-related air pollution (TRAP), and therefore also risk-averse health effects. In many cities, there is scope for further improvement in air quality through targeted local policy interventions. The objective of this systematic evidence map is to identify policy interventions at the urban-level that can be implemented by local authorities to effectively reduce traffic emissions and/or TRAP from on-road mobile sources, thus reducing human exposures and adverse health impacts.
Urban and Transportation Planning and Health: A Literature Review, a Conceptual and a Quantitative Health Impact Assessment Model
Lead: Texas A&M Transportation Institute
By 2050, nearly 70 percent of the global population is projected to live in urban areas. Because the environments we inhabit affect our health, urban and transportation planning and policy that promote healthy living are urgently needed. In this work, we start by reviewing the literature linking urban and transportation planning and policy to human health outcomes, focusing on cities. We detail the relationship between mobility and public health. Mobility (or transportation) is influenced by four factors: transportation mode, emergent and disruptive technology, transportation infrastructure, and the land use and built environment of an area. Each of these determine how we choose to move ourselves and goods, and each of these choices levies a public health implication. Further, we synthesize the literature and, using co-production methods, formulate a high-level framework highlighting the linkages between health and transportation planning and policy. We assess the collective literature and shed light on where studies are clustered, as well as where they are lacking. In an attempt to quantify these impacts and inform policy makers — and focusing on premature mortality — we undertake a statewide health impact assessment. In the health impact assessment, we estimate the number of premature deaths preventable by modifying various urban and transportation related exposures.
Quantifying Traffic Congestion-Induced Change of Near-Road Air Pollutant Concentration
Lead: University of California, Riverside
Traffic congestion exacerbates the ambient air pollution by contributing a large amount of additional fuel consumption and tailpipe emissions. However, the relationship between the prevailing traffic condition and local air pollutant concentration is not well quantified in previous literature. The primary goal of this study is to quantify the contributions to the ambient air quality degradation due to traffic congestion. The study will use real-time traffic characteristics and ambient air quality data from monitoring sites to develop and validate a statistical model that can be used to understand the air quality impacts of traffic congestion.
Characterizing In-Cab Air Quality in Heavy Duty Diesel Construction Equipment
Lead: Texas A&M University
The goal of this project is to collect and analyze air quality data inside cabs of heavy-duty diesel construction equipment. Virtually nothing is known about indoor air quality (IAQ) in heavy duty diesel (HDD) construction equipment cabs. Previous research on other vehicles such as school buses found that intrusion of the vehicle’s own exhaust into the cab after emission from the tailpipe is a significant source of passenger exposure to diesel-related pollutants. This study will provide empirical evidence regarding the infiltration of emissions, IAQ and operator exposure in HDD construction equipment cabs.
Traffic-Related Air Pollution and Childhood Asthma in the United States: A Burden of Disease Assessment
Lead: Texas A&M Transportation Institute
Asthma is a chronic airway disease characterized by episodes of coughing, shortness of breath and wheezing. Around 6 million children in the United States are affected by asthma, making the condition the most common chronic lung disease in childhood. Traffic-related air pollution (TRAP) may be an important exposure contributing to the development of childhood asthma. Yet the burden of incident childhood asthma, attributable to TRAP, is poorly documented. This study builds on past research and models to estimate the burden of incident childhood asthma, attributable to traffic-related air pollution within the contiguous United States.
Measuring Temporal and Spatial Exposure of Urban Cyclists to Air Pollutants Using an Instrumented Bicycle
Lead: Georgia Institute of Technology
Increased use of active transportation can make direct and indirect contributions toward addressing health concerns arising from sedentary lifestyles and other societal transportation issues. However, in the process of cycling for transportation, cyclists themselves are exposed to pollutants that could adversely impact their health. The goal of this study is to better understand local cyclist exposure to air pollutants and variations by route and time of day. Data collection will be done using an instrumented bicycle, and the pollutant exposure of cyclists on parallel routes between major origin‐destination pairs will then be mapped.
Particulate Matter Exposure for Paratransit Transport
Lead: Georgia Institute of Technology
Paratransit transport typically provides transportation options for seniors and individuals that cannot access the fixed route bus or rail system. As the US population ages, there is an increasing number of people with limited transportation options, who have to rely on services such as paratransit. Little is known about the emissions characteristics of paratransit vehicles, and the exposures faced by paratransit riders, both onboard the vehicles and while waiting at stops. This study will characterize the Particulate Matter (PM) emissions exposures inside the cabin of paratransit buses, as well as in waiting areas, and provide an understanding of the exposures of a vulnerable user group.
Developing a Transportation, Emissions and Health Data Hub
Lead: Texas A&M Transportation Institute
Partners: All other consortium members
This project addresses the need for a systematic, cross-disciplinary approach to understand different sources of data and reconcile different methods of data collection and analysis. A large amount of high-quality data exists in both the transportation and public health domains, which could be related spatially and temporally with each other for innovative research applications. A data hub developed in cooperation with all CARTEEH consortium members will facilitate the sharing of data between researchers from different disciplines and institutions.
