Activities and research plans related to Ecoinformatics Ecoinformatics2006 Ispra, JRC, 19 January 2006 DG SANCO Health Information Unit Artur FURTADO

Contents The importance of Ecoinformatics The role of SANCO

Ecoinformatics Bridge between Information science and Environment, easing both research and management Management of natural systems data (heterogeneous, scattered and uncoordinated) Access and integration of databases of environmental information Definition of entities and processes of natural systems in a language that computers can process (research in knowledge representation and semantics) Use of predictive models, analytical and planning tools

The Public Health Programme Previous support for health monitoring now integrated in the Information strand of the PHP (former health monitoring, cancer, rare diseases, pollution-related diseases and injury prevention programmes) Reliable, up-to-date and comparable information in a single accessible system Eurostat (mortality and morbidity statistics) and the Lisbon (drugs), Copenhagen (environment) and Stockholm (communicable diseases) agencies have monitoring mandates [WHO, OECD]

Information strand objectives Develop health indicators Analyze and report on the health status Provide information to citizens Increase the evidence basis for policy making Establish a sustainable health monitoring system

How SANCO and the EU PHP can help

Related activities under SANCO Information diffusion on-line reporting of comparable data and indicators mination/echi/echi_en.htm Project support nitoring/monitoring_2002_01_en.htm Working Party Environment and Health ment/wp/events_wp_en.htm

Information diffusion Project reports placed on the Europa server translated paper copies (available in some cases) Special reports on 2002/3health status, nutrition, accidents and injuries 2004mental health, rare diseases 2005alcohol (due) Conferences organised Cardiovascular disease, eHealth, workplace health, mental health rare diseases, health impact assessment Public health Portal

Public health portal Adding to the Europa server, a public health portal will be launched in April 2006 Providing an across the board picture of health issues at Community level Funded under the PHP, with support from the IDA (interchange of data between administrations) programme Linking to national and regional websites and involving civil society

EU Public Health portal

Operating structures Network of Competent Authorities Representatives of health authorities monitor the information strand Seven working parties Indicators, environment and health, mental health, accidents and injuries, lifestyles, mortality and morbidity, health systems Health and Environment WP Forum for H&E information and information needs H&E contractors, stakeholders, incl. international organisations and NGO [DG ENV, EEA and WHO]

Project support in related fields Short list of Community Health Indicators On-line and regularly update Lisbon Strategy Healthy Life years indicator On-line and reported in the Spring Report

The example of the ECOHIS project Development of Environment and Health Indicators for EU Countries Establish and validate a set of E&H indicators for EU 2 of indicators (PM10; road traffic injuries) included in ECHI short list mination/echi/echi_en.htm mination/echi/echi_en.htm All (17) included in ECHI long list

The example of the ENHIS2 project Establishment of Environmental Health Information System Supporting Policy Making WHO European Centre for E&H coordination Implement an information system to identify and prioritise environmental health problems, monitor policy effects and facilitate inter-country comparisons and time trends analysis Based on a set of E&H indicators and health impact assessment methods, it will contribute to an European E&H information system (4th Ministerial Conference on E&H, Budapest, 2004)

The example of the ENHIS2 project Kick-start of the project Connecting different data sources Technical and institutional coordination WHO (project coordinator) Involving cooperation between Eurostat, JRC, EEA, DG Env and DG Sanco

New projects - Call 2005 The impact of the 2003 heat wave on the EU population Regional centre for fight against cancer, FR € 300 k Prioritization of building materials as indoor pollution University of West Macedonia € 1 m

New projects - Call 2005 European system of urban indicators University of Manchester € 1,4 m

2006 agenda under the PHP Work plan 2006 High level of human health protection, through all EU policies Self-sustained coordination of policies among MS Implement the European Environment and Health Action Plan (PH aspects) - work on indoor air quality and report on the 1999 EMF Recommendation Operate WG on environment and health to obtain operational indicators

In brief Ecoinformatics as tool to better understand environment- health interactions SANCO with keen interest in seeing research developed on the subject, with a Public Health perspective

More at ph_information/information_en.htm

Activities and research plans related to Ecoinformatics Ecoinformatics2006 Ispra, JRC, 19 January 2006 DG SANCO Health Information Unit Artur FURTADO

Back up slides

Former programmes 172 promotion projects, 5 mental health projects running for 2.4M€ EUPHIN: 1 running contract for 500,000€ 54 health monitoring projects, 21 running for 6.4M€ 24 rare diseases projects, 15 running for 2.4M€ 82 injury prevention projects, 20 running for 2.9M€ A total of 62 running projects, 14.79M€

2005 funding round 18 Projects were selected for an amount of € 11.8 m were accepted 4 additional projects were selected on accidents and injuries and mental health for an amount of € 3.6 m Several tenders were launched for Eurobarometers during 2005

Health Determinants Strand

A EUROPEAN ENVIRONMENT AND HEALTH INFORMATION SYSTEM FOR EXPOSURE AND DISEASE MAPPING AND RISK ASSESSMENT (EUROHEIS) Objectives Improve health information and health information system for exposure disease mapping and risk assessment Status of project: finished Funded: 1999 – 2003 Coordinated by: Imperial college of Science UK

Projects on air quality A EUROPEAN INFORMATION SYSTEM ON AIR POLLUTION AND HEALTH (APHEIS) Objectives to assess the health impact of air pollution in 26 cities. The study showed that pollution continues to threaten public health and that even small reductions in air-pollution levels have clear health benefits. The next phase will be to try to bridge the gap between research findings and decision making Status of project: finished Funded: 2000 – 2002 Coordinated by: Institute de Veille Sanitaire FR

Projects on indoor air quality TOWARDS HEALTHY AIR IN DWELLINGS IN EUROPE (THADE ) Objectives to produce maps of pollutants in dwellings, and to review data, cost-effective measures and technology, quality in dwellings, and legislation and guidelines on air pollution, recommend a strategy for implementation Status of project: finished Funded: 2001 – 2003 Coordinated by: European federation of Asthma and Allergy FI

Projects on air quality CRICTICAL APPRAISAL OF THE SETTING AND IMPLEMENTATION OF INDOOR EXPOSURE LIMITS IN THE EU –INDEX- Objectives To create a network of European leading scientists in the area of indoor air pollution and herewith associated health impacts in order to identify priorities and assess the need for a Community strategy and action plan Status of project: Ongoing Funded: 2002 – 2004 Coordinated by: JRC

Projects co-funded under Call 2005  Prioritization of building materials as indoor pollution  Study of an impact of the heatwave 2003 on European people

Why Ecoinformatics matters