LinDA Workshop eChallenges2014 - Linked Open Data for EU SMEs The case of Environment Analytics by

1. Workshop 8d, 30 October 2014 eChallenges e-2014 Copyright 2014 , Ubitech Ltd.
Linked Open Data for EU SMEs
The case of Environment Analytics
Anastasios Zafeiropoulos, Ubitech Ltd./R&D Department
azafeiropoulos@ubitech.eu
Norma Zanetti, Hyperborea

2. Workshop 8d, 30 October 2014 eChallenges e-2014 Copyright 2014 , Ubitech Ltd.
Environment Analytics Pilot
– Work on elaborating datasets that describe the ecological
status of provinces in Italy based on various parameters
related to polluting emissions, waste production, water
discharge, water sample etc.
– Objective: use these data in order to proceed to analysis
and extract conclusions about the health impact of
environmental pollution in Italy taking into account the
climate conditions in each area.
– examine frequency and type of occurrence of diseases in specific
geographical areas in correlation with environmental conditions and
indicators for pollution in the area.
– examine epidemiological incurrences and factors.
– realise risk management and forecasting analysis

3. Workshop 8d, 30 October 2014 eChallenges e-2014 Copyright 2014 , Ubitech Ltd.
Environment Analytics Pilot
• Series of health problems in areas
with augmenting concentration of
dangerous components in the air,
water and terrain, biodiversity loss as
well as the wide publication of this
issue at the media.
• Italian case of the triangle of death
(Italian: Triangolo della morte)
– increasing deaths caused by cancer and
other diseases that exceeds the Italian
national average.
– mainly caused by pollution from illegal
waste disposal.

4. Workshop 8d, 30 October 2014 eChallenges e-2014 Copyright 2014 , Ubitech Ltd.
Challenges
• Private datasets: part of the datasets are not publicly available.
• Spatial statistics: geo-location data are considered crucial towards
analysing the impact of pollution in health of citizens in various areas.
• Quality and Accuracy of data as well as differences in their
interpretation within heterogeneous databases consist important factors
that affect the analysis’ results.
• Process:
– access to series of data covering different decades of years;
– capacity to register cases of mortality, diseases, etc.; as well as pollution
relevant data (e.g. wastes, air pollution)
– capacity to geo-localise those cases (spatial statistics are considered
crucial for these studies);
– capacity to realize correlation and forecasting analysis.

5. Workshop 8d, 30 October 2014 eChallenges e-2014 Copyright 2014 , Ubitech Ltd.
Datasets (1)
– Generic/ Environmental/Health
– National/ International
– I.Stat - National Institute of Statistics in Italy
– environmental indicators, health indicators and demographic
indicators
– I Tumori in Italia
– estimates of incidence, prevalence and mortality for several
locations broken down by age, region and macro area
– ITACAN - Italian Association of Cancer Registries
– key epidemiological indicators of the most common cancers based
on the data of the Italian Cancer Registries
• ISS - Istituto Superiore di Sanità
– description of the mortality observed in Italy in the period 1980-2011

6. Workshop 8d, 30 October 2014 eChallenges e-2014 Copyright 2014 , Ubitech Ltd.
Datasets (2)
– SIRA - Sistema Informativo Regionale dell'Ambiente della
Toscana
– Water monitoring parameters regarding surface water, groundwater
and coastal waters.
– UNEP and its partners in the Global Environment Outlook
– Freshwater, Population, Forests, Emissions, Climate, Disasters,
Health and GDP
– World Bank Open Data
– data for environment, climate change and health
– Private datasets in collaboration with scientists

7. Workshop 8d, 30 October 2014 eChallenges e-2014 Copyright 2014 , Ubitech Ltd.
Analysis Subjects
• There is any correlation among the pollution levels in an
area, the climate conditions, demographic characteristics
and the incidence of diseases (especially those related with
cancer) in the population?
• There is any correlation among part of the above-
mentioned parameters?
• How we may find abnormalities (anomalies) in the
instances of diseases during the years?
• When the change in the number of instances can be
considered to have epidemiological characteristics?

8. Workshop 8d, 30 October 2014 eChallenges e-2014 Copyright 2014 , Ubitech Ltd.
Analysis Subjects
• What estimates may we produce regarding the evolution of
the instances of diseases the upcoming years?
• Does it exist any type of correlation on the instances of
diseases in areas with similar climate condition and
pollution levels?
• Can we assume the existence of clusters with similar
characteristics or trends with regards to the expansion of
diseases?
• What kind of preventive actions can be undertaken in cases
with large number of incidents or pessimistic predictions in
order to restrict the spreading of specific diseases?

9. Workshop 8d, 30 October 2014 eChallenges e-2014 Copyright 2014 , Ubitech Ltd.
Analysis/Algorithms
• Point pattern analysis, geo-statistics and geographic
correlation studies
– study the geographical factors and their effects on geographically
differentiated health outcomes
• Disease mapping and analysis
– visual representations of geographic data and disease maps
– survey high-risk areas and help policy formulation
• Spatial regression
– take account of the lack of independence that typically exists
between measurements made at nearby locations.
• Clustering and association algorithms
– detect areas that present similar trends and commonalities in the
identified incidents (identify disease clusters, or spatial groupings of
proximity and characteristically related epidemics).

10. Workshop 8d, 30 October 2014 eChallenges e-2014 Copyright 2014 , Ubitech Ltd.
Collaborations
• SDI4APPS project
– Expression of interest from SDIAPPS SMEs
– Signed MoU
• LIFE project in Italy - http://www.hia21.eu/en/index.php
– The goal of the project is the application of the Health Impact
Assessment (HIA) procedure, integrated with Local Agenda 21
practices, the assessment of current and future impacts of urban
waste cycle planning and management policy.
• Instituto di Fisiologia Clinica of National Research Council
in Pisa
• Interaction with scientists worldwide

11. info @
LinDA-project.eu
@LinDA_FP7
+
LinDA-project.eu
LinDAFP7
Thank you! Questions? Anastasios Zafeiropoulos| azafeiropoulos@ubitech.eu
Senior R&D Architect
Ubitech Ltd.| www.ubitech.eu