The goal of the April meeting was to discuss the topic of environmental analyses related to COVID-19. Speakers from Chile and the US will presented on their efforts in this area and how it relates to the Vida project. There was also a discussion period after the presentations to facilitate sharing of insights and lessons learned.
Summary information for the meeting can be found here.
Please view the agenda below. Slides from each presenter are linked in the agenda.
The Space Enabled research group at the MIT Media Lab is leading a team to design decision support tools to inform public policy in response to challenges such as the COVID-19 pandemic. This project creates a platform for collaboration between technologists to build the Vida Decision Support System, a customized online tool targeted for use by public sector officials at the city and regional level who are making policies regarding public health, the economy, or environmental management. The Vida Decision Support System helps city and regional leaders understand the relationships between important societal factors that are changing by creating models in the following areas: Public Health, Environment, Socioeconomic Impacts, Public Policy, and Disease Surveillance Technology. Vida is based on an integrated Data Visualization and Modeling Framework created by the Space Enabled research group at MIT that combines multiple data sources and creates simulations of the current or potential future states of a city or region. More background information about the Vida Decision Support System can be found here.
Agenda:
All times are in ET, post-daylights savings time
Introduction | 8:05 AM
Opening remarks from Professor Danielle Wood
Vida DSS Overview and Analysis Presentation | 8:10 AM
An overview of the Vida framework and a presentation of environmental nightlight analyses for Vida by ECU research scientist Amanda Payton and Space Enabled PhD students Jack Reid and Seamus Lombardo
- Speaker name: Amanda Payton [1], Jack Reid [2], Seamus Lombardo [2]
- Organizational Affiliation: 1. East Carolina University, 2. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- Presentation Title: Analysis of Night Light Data for the Vida DSS
Vida Collaborator Presentations | 8:35 AM
Presentation from the team in Chile | (20 minutes)
- Speaker name: Paulina Assmann
- Organizational Affiliation: Head of Ministry of Science, Technology, Knowledge and Innovation Chile Macrozone Centre-South (Regions of O'Higgins, Maule, Ñuble and Biobío)
- Presentation Title: Building a Wastewater Surveillance of COVID-19 from Scratch
Presentation from the team in the United States | (10 minutes)
- Speaker name: Maggie Zheng
- Organizational Affiliation: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- Presentation Title: Air Quality in Rio de Janeiro Pre and Post COVID
Open Mic and Discussion | 9:15 AM (10 minutes)
Open mic comments from attendees with environmental analysis knowledge or general conversation regarding environmental analysis and Vida
Conclusion | 9:25 AM
Summary of where information can be found and closing remarks from Professor Danielle Wood.