Effects of urban green spaces on human health

QGIS plugin and geoprocessing tools to quantify the health impacts of urban green spaces on human health based on earth observation and geospatial data.

Challenge

As the WHO has decided to further investigate the possibility and feasibility of a tool to quantify the health impact of green spaces, it should fulfill three functions: be an application for case studies, be educational and raise awareness.
Users can set a resolution for the urban analysis and exclude agricultural areas, forests, etc.
Urban areas are defined as city and metropolitan areas, which also include inner-city suburbs.
The plugin works with QGIS, an operating system-independent, free and open-source geographic information system (GIS).
Several user groups are potentially interested in using such a tool:

Experts
Researchers for preliminary impact assessments
Government agencies/policies for preliminary impact assessments
“Every user” – specifically for the general public to raise community awareness and for educational purposes

Services

Our QGIS plugin analyzes the availability and impact of green spaces in urban areas to provide a comprehensive assessment of the current situation and the associated health and environmental effects.
It examines the distribution and accessibility of green spaces and assesses their impact on general and cardiovascular mortality, morbidity and mental health.
It considers links between green spaces and diseases such as dementia, depression and strokes, as well as their promotion of social interactions.
In addition, the plugin analyzes the ecosystem services of green spaces, including their role in reducing air pollution, noise reduction and temperature regulation, as well as their impact on pollen production and flood protection.
The plugin also examines the promotion of active transportation such as walking and cycling through green spaces and their positive impact on health.

Result

QGIS Plugin
Implementation of a range of scientific methods on the effects of green spaces on the health of the population

Customer

World Health Organization (WHO)

Story

The WHO GreenUr tool aims to familiarize the public with estimates of the impact of green spaces on the health of a given population. The main questions addressed in this version of the GreenUr prototype are the following: How much green space is available for a given city’s population in the context of residential density? What are the pathways through which green space affects health? How big would the change in health impacts be in the future if green spaces were changed compared to the current scenario?
All calculations carried out by GreenUr are based on methods determined in social, ecological and epidemiological studies.