I-Corps: Ultra Violet Guardian: Real Time Estimation of Pedestrians Ultraviolet Exposure

University Of California-Los Angeles, Los Angeles CA

Investigators

Abstract

Researchers seek to provide real-time ultraviolet (UV) monitoring across the globe for pedestrians with an UV-exposure monitoring technology for the purpose of protecting users from sun over-exposure and aiding in skin cancer prevention. Using a cell phone device and a Bluetooth enabled UV sensor, volunteers walking outdoors contribute to constructing a global UV irradiance map in their respective areas, by periodically uploading UV irradiance samples to the technology's web service. Subsets of the aggregated UV readings are made anonymous, geographically segmented, then made available to the general public for location based UV irradiance queries via a webpage. With smart phone and the technology's App, the typical customer, even without wearing a UV sensor, can keep track of cumulative exposure and can plan travel paths that minimize UV exposure before stepping outdoors. This technology has the potential to have significant impacts on health and wellness both near and long-term. In the near term: (1) Build a global UV irradiance map in real-time at the pedestrian level through participatory sensing; (2) estimate the pedestrians' UV exposure traveling along a path before they step outdoors: A personal UV monitoring device can prevent over-exposure, however only performs incremental or post processing of the pedestrian's UV exposure. In the long-term: this technology could be used to correlate the pedestrian's UV exposure patterns with skin cancer types: Today, there is little data that correlates UV exposure to the onset of any type of Skin Cancer. If 1 in 5 people are projected to get skin cancer, 20-30 years from now Physicians may be able to obtain UV exposure data from users of this technology that contract skin cancer provided their consent.