Air pollution, meteorological conditions and COVID-19 incidence

📆 Project Period	May - July, 2024
👤 CIN Visiting Researcher	Leona Hoffmann

Project Summary

Overall Research question of my PhD project: What is the influence of environmental stressors on the spread of virus-transmitting infections that can lead to pandemics?
Sub-question: Which environmental stressors and their combinations have the strongest associations with COVID-19 incidences?
during the ESA Φ-lab stay:

further development of the manuscript on the research results of the analysis of the sub-question for the region of Baden-Württemberg, Germany.
Preparation of an extended analysis for the new region of Brazil including various data acquisitions and processing of Earth Observation data
Broadening my horizons in ML topics and thinking outside the box.
Various presentations and discussions of my work and the current state.

Development Tools

R Studio (data preparation)
Python (new learned, data acquisition + preparation)
Van Donkelaar database (Satellite-derived PM2.5 | Atmospheric Composition Analysis Group | Washington University in St. Louis (wustl.edu))
CAMS global land database (ERA5-Land Daily Aggregated - ECMWF Climate Reanalysis | Earth Engine Data Catalog | Google for Developers)
Power Point (presentations)

Development Outputs

Brazil dataset of environmental data (combination of air pollution and meteorological factors)
Dataset matched with Brazil health data [not public available yet, probably available together with the planned publication]
Data analysis with research question: Which environmental stressors and their combinations have the strongest associations with COVID-19 incidences in Brazil?

Project Description

I had the excellent opportunity to do a three-month research stay at the ESA ESRIN campus in Frascati (Italy). During my stay as a visiting researcher at Φ-lab, I was able to gain extensive knowledge and insights into various topics related to earth observation. Rochelle Schneider, who was my main contact person at Φ-lab, has extensive expertise in earth observation data, health data, and related analysis methods. Her knowledge and expertise make her a valuable discussion partner in answering my research question.

Project Summary

Overall Research question of my PhD project: What is the influence of environmental stressors on the spread of virus-transmitting infections that can lead to pandemics?

Sub-question: Which environmental stressors and their combinations have the strongest associations with COVID-19 incidences?

during the ESA Φ-lab stay:

further development of the manuscript on the research results of the analysis of the sub-question for the region of Baden-Württemberg, Germany.
Preparation of an extended analysis for the new region of Brazil including various data acquisitions and processing of Earth Observation data
Broadening my horizons in ML topics and thinking outside the box.
Various presentations and discussions of my work and the current state.

Development Outputs

Brazil dataset of environmental data (combination of air pollution and meteorological factors)

Dataset matched with Brazil health data [not public available yet, probably available together with the planned publication]

Data analysis with research question: Which environmental stressors and their combinations have the strongest associations with COVID-19 incidences in Brazil?

Project Description