When AURORA looks at possibile applications, the focus is services utilising satellite data for preventive health care, especially in relation to air pollution and ultraviolet (UV) exposure. In this article, we provide a short overview of some of the commercial opportunities in relation to AURORA for the health sector.
The concerns for air pollution and UV exposure, and their impact on public health and economies, provide (commercial) opportunities for organisations that aim to develop or enhance services in this field, including (smartphone) applications, medical devices, and wearables.
AURORA taps into large and growing markets: air quality monitoring, wearable medical devices, tourism and sun screen market. AQ and UV satellite data provide added value in these markets and generate opportunities for new business models.
The main market drivers related to air quality and UV are:
- With increasing urbanisation, urban air pollution problems are ever increasing.
- The impact of UV radiation and air pollution on public health is substantial.
- There is an increased awareness amongst citizens concerning the impact of air pollution and UV radiation.
- Given these challenges, governments are more and more keen to monitor and regulate air pollution.
- The high amount of skin cancers and the efforts needed to treat the disease causes a high expenditure for health care.
- UV data and air quality data can provide the resources to design more effective policies.
The main benefits of AURORA data that are valued by (potential) users/customers include that the data is pre-processed (‘use ready’), and that it covers parts of the globe where no ground sensors are available. It is expected that most users will choose to combine AURORA data with other data sets to get the most value for their customers.
HappySun and AIR-Portal are two demonstration services being developed as part of AURORA , which show the potential of this data:
- AIR-Portal: this service combines different sources of data to provide historic, current and forecast data, and visualizes local air quality over the whole of Europe. An accurate monitoring and analysis tool will help to make decisions – from the individual to the government level – to minimize exposure to air pollution and all of its negative effects.
- HappySun: this smartphone application provides a solar UV protection smart tool for citizens and tourists at global level exploiting satellite data. Persons that take a sunbath are warned against the danger of solar radiation, and receive advice when to use protective measures.
The above services are just some examples. The opportunities for service development based on AURORA are in principle endless. Think for instance of applications for the insurance sector, agriculture, and housing market.
For more information, please contact our innovation manager at koen@52impact.nl
