1. INSPIRE Data Specification on Human Health and Safety - Technical Guidelines
- Author
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The Thematic Working Group Human Health, Safety (TWG-HH) included: Dorota Jarosinska (TWG Facilitator), Luciano Massetti (TWG Editor), Arvid Lillethun, Georgios Giannopoulos, Julien Caudeville, Roel Smolders, Ute Dauert, Julien Gaffuri (European Commission contact point). The Drafting Team Data Specifications included: Clemens Portele (Chair), Andreas Illert (Vice-chair), Kristine Asch, Marek Baranowski, Eric Bayers, Andre Bernath, Francis Bertrand, Markus Erhard, Stephan Gruber, Heinz Habrich, Stepan Kafka, Dominique Laurent, Ute Maurer-Rurack, Keith Murray, George Panopoulos, Claudia Pegoraro, Marcel Reuvers, Anne Ruas, Markus Seifert, Peter Van Oosterom, Andrew Woolf, the European Commission contact points: Steve Peedell, Katalin Tóth, Paul Smits, and Vanda Nunes de Lima.
- Subjects
INSPIRE - Abstract
The INSPIRE Human Health and Safety (HH) theme describes ,,geographical distribution of dominance of pathologies (allergies, cancers, respiratory diseases, etc.), information indicating the effect on health (biomarkers, decline of fertility, epidemics) or well-being of humans (fatigue, stress, etc.) linked directly (air pollution, chemicals, depletion of the ozone layer, noise, etc.) or indirectly (food, genetically modified organisms, etc.) to the quality of the environment". Several components were identified within this broad theme description, including: human health data (on diseases, poisoning, injuries, etc.); biomarkers; health care/health services data; and determinants of health (focus on environmental data). While the definition in the Inspire Directive refers to direct or indirect links between pathologies and the quality of the environment, the HH data model is able to accommodate all health data, while linkage of specific health issues and the environment is a matter of a user decision. The data in the scope of HH theme are primarily statistical data/indices, expressed at different spatial levels, thus no specific spatial objects have been defined. For most applications, data are reported re-using spatial objects identified by TWG Statistical Units (SU); for health care/health services, spatial objects (Governmental Service) identified by TWG Utility and Government Services (US) were recommended to be used. A general model for environmental data, relevant as health determinant (envhealth), was also provided. No new spatial features were provided, and Statistical Units (SU) for aggregated data are reused. For primary or observed data, reuse of Environmental Monitoring Facilities has been proposed; however, alternatively O&M standard could be re-used for thematic environmental data. Feasibility of an approach most suitable to represent point data requires further discussion. This theme provides a generic data model applicable across statistical units (as presented in SU theme) available in the Member States. The human health theme contains mainly data attached to statistical units. Health data and biomarkers have no direct spatial features, and need to be linked to these features by the use of statistical units, for example NUTS-codes or grid coordinates. The following themes are particularly important in their relationships to Human Health and Safety, and these are: Statistical Units (SU): spatial objects identified by TWG SU are re-used Utility and Government Services (US): The use of spatial objects identified by TWG US are recommended to represent information about health care/health servicesEnvironmental Monitoring facilities (EF): Other themes relevant for HH include: Population Distribution - Demography (PD), as the theme HH addresses mainly aspects of health conditions of individuals and populations Production and industrial facilities (PF), Agricultural and aquaculture facilities (AF), Natural risk zones (NR), Soil (SO), Atmospheric conditions/Meteorological geographical features (AC), for analysing potential links with the quality of the environment, and safety issues. .... Some examples (use cases) are provided for environmental data in the context of human health; a case study (use case) focusing on human health, and possible linkages to other themes is considered for the next steps of DS development.
- Published
- 2013