ANNOUNCER: "THE CROWD & THE CLOUD" IS
MADE POSSIBLE BY NSF,
THE NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION,
WHERE DISCOVERIES BEGIN.
ABDALATI: IT'S INDIVIDUALS AND FAMILIES WHO GET SICK,
BUT SOMETIMES, IT'S THEIR NEIGHBORHOODS
THAT TRIGGER ILLNESS,
AND THAT'S TRUE FOR ASTHMA IN LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY,
OR WEST OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA,
AND FOR DENGUE FEVER OR ZIKA IN TROPICAL CLIMATES
OR CHOLERA BACK IN 19th CENTURY LONDON,
BUT HOW PHYSICIANS AND COMMUNITIES FIGHT BACK
IS BEING REVOLUTIONIZED BY TECHNOLOGY.
WE TYPICALLY MAKE IT TO THE--THE TOPS OF LISTS
THAT PEOPLE DON'T WANT TO BE ON THE TOPS OF.
ABDALATI: ONCE IT WAS PEN AND PAPER
AND POUNDING THE PAVEMENT.
NOW IT'S SENSORS AND SMARTPHONES,
INEXPENSIVE MICROSCOPES AND SMART SOFTWARE.
WELL, WE DON'T WANT TO COMPLAIN.
WE WANT TO WORK WITH TO CHANGE SOMETHING.
ABDALATI: TODAY, APPS THAT BEGAN IN SILICON VALLEY
CAN BE CUSTOMIZED TO FIT LOCAL CONDITIONS
IN KENYA, EMPOWERING COMMUNITY HEALTH WORKERS
TO COMPENSATE FOR THE LACK OF DOCTORS.
MAN: SO IF WE GET A TEXT MESSAGE
AND IT SAVES A PREGNANT MOTHER,
THAT'S BIG, MAN.
ABDALATI: IN BARCELONA, BROOKLYN, AND NEW ORLEANS,
APPS AND CITIZEN SCIENCE CAN COMBAT
THE SPREAD OF DISEASE-BRINGING MOSQUITOES.
WOMAN: THE CITIZEN POWER IS THE RIGHT POWER.
ABDALATI: I'M WALEED ABDALATI.
I'VE WORKED FOR NASA AND USED SATELLITES TO STUDY
EARTH FROM SPACE, BUT I'M INCREASINGLY CONVINCED
THAT TODAY'S TECHNOLOGIES AND PUBLIC PARTICIPATION
IN SCIENCE CAN TACKLE LONGTIME PROBLEMS
IN TOTALLY NEW WAYS.
IN THIS EPISODE OF "THE CROWD & THE CLOUD,"
CITIZENS AND SENSORS, SMARTPHONES AND SOCIAL MEDIA
ALL WORKING TOGETHER TO EMPOWER PUBLIC HEALTH SCIENCE,
UNLEASHING VIRAL VERSUS VIRUS.
THE CROWD, THE CLOUD.
[WOMAN SPEAKS FOREIGN LANGUAGE]
[DIFFERENT WOMAN SPEAKS FOREIGN LANGUAGE]
DIFFERENT WOMAN: "THE CROWD & THE CLOUD."
[DIFFERENT WOMAN SPEAKS FOREIGN LANGUAGE]
MAN: "THE CROWD & THE CLOUD."
COMPUTERIZED VOICE: "VIRAL VS. VIRUS."
MORE THAN 25 MILLION AMERICANS,
1 IN 14, SUFFER FROM ASTHMA, A DISEASE THAT MAKES IT HARD
TO BREATHE AND KILLS 10 PEOPLE IN THIS COUNTRY
EACH AND EVERY DAY.
HERE'S HOW INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGY LINKED
TO AN INHALER IS HELPING CITIZENS MANAGE
THEIR ASTHMA IN ONE TYPICAL AMERICAN CITY.
[BOY BREATHING HEAVILY]
[COUGHS]
WOMAN: COME ON!
UNDER 3 MINUTES.
YES!
I NEED MY THING, MOM.
MASON, VOICE-OVER: MY NAME IS MASON.
I AM 9, AND I LIVE IN LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY.
1, 2, 3, 4, 5.
[COUGHS]
ABDALATI: LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY, IS ONE
OF AMERICA'S ASTHMA HOTSPOTS.
13% OF THE CITY'S POPULATION SUFFERS
FROM THE DISEASE.
WOMAN: IT FEELS LIKE AN ELEPHANT
IS SITTING ON MY CHEST.
DIFFERENT WOMAN: YOU FEEL CHEST TIGHTNESS,
YOUR HEART HURTS
EVEN THOUGH IT'S NOT A HEART ATTACK,
BUT YOU FEEL LIKE IT BECAUSE THERE'S JUST SO--
YOUR BODY BASICALLY EVERYTHING'S RUSHING
TO TRY AND GET YOU TO BREATHE.
MAN: SO LOUISVILLE'S AIR QUALITY HAS BEEN
A CHALLENGE FOR A VERY LONG TIME.
WE TYPICALLY MAKE IT TO THE TOPS OF LISTS
THAT PEOPLE DON'T WANT TO BE ON THE TOPS OF,
SO, UH, YOU KNOW, THE FOURTH HIGHEST RATE OF ASTHMA
NATIONALLY, YOU KNOW, 1 OF THE 10 WORST PLACES
TO LIVE IF YOU HAVE BREATHING DISORDERS,
YOU KNOW, AND ALLERGIES.
I MEAN, WE'VE--WE'VE LOOKED AT SOME OF THESE LISTS
AND THE PEOPLE THAT MAKE THEM AND SAID,
"YOU KNOW, OUR GOAL IS TO GET OFF YOUR LIST."
ABDALATI: ONE OF THE FIRST CALLS TED SMITH MADE WAS
TO DAVID VAN SICKLE, CEO OF PROPELLER HEALTH.
VAN SICKLE: EVERY YEAR IN THE UNITED STATES,
ASTHMA STILL CAUSES MILLIONS OF EMERGENCY ROOM VISITS
AND HOSPITALIZATIONS.
ABDALATI: VAN SICKLES' COMPANY WAS DEVELOPING A SENSOR
TO TRACK THE INHALER USE OF ASTHMA PATIENTS.
HE CAME UP WITH THE IDEA AFTER STUDYING
A MYSTERIOUS ASTHMA OUTBREAK IN BARCELONA IN THE 1980s.
THERE'S A CLASSIC, UH, STUDY FROM, UH, BARCELONA, SPAIN,
WHERE, UM, IT TOOK ABOUT 10 YEARS
FOR A TEAM OF EXPERT PHYSICIANS AND SCIENTISTS
AND--AND PUBLIC HEALTH OFFICIALS
TO UNDERSTAND THAT THESE SIGNIFICANT OUTBREAKS
OF--OF ASTHMA THAT WERE OCCURRING AND SENDING LOTS
OF PEOPLE TO THE HOSPITAL WERE CAUSED
BY A LACK OF APPROPRIATE FILTERS IN--IN HARBOR SILOS.
THEY PUT ON A MAP FOR THE FIRST TIME THE LOCATIONS
WHERE PEOPLE'S ATTACKS HAD BEGUN.
IT WAS REALLY THE FIRST TIME THAT AN ASTHMAGEN
LIKE THAT HAD BEEN--HAD BEEN IDENTIFIED THAT WAS
CAUSING THESE COMMUNITY-WIDE OUTBREAKS
OF--OF PRETTY SEVERE DISEASE.
ABDALATI: THE CHALLENGE-- HOW TO TRACK
COMMUNITY ASTHMA ATTACKS IN REAL TIME.
THE ANSWER-- A SENSOR SMALL ENOUGH TO FIT
IN YOUR POCKET AND ABLE TO CONNECT
TO A SMARTPHONE AND UPLOAD DATA.
WE HAD THIS IDEA THAT, UH, CHIPS AND SENSORS AND RADIOS
HAD BECOME SMALL AND CHEAP ENOUGH
THAT THEY COULD NOW BE, YOU KNOW, ACTUALLY
PHYSICALLY BUILT INTO THE-- INTO THE MEDICATIONS
THAT PEOPLE TAKE.
ABDALATI: IT TOOK A COUPLE OF TRIES
AND A FEW CLUNKY PROTOTYPES, BUT PROPELLER'S CURRENT SENSOR
FITS SEAMLESSLY ON TOP OF A TYPICAL INHALER.
VAN SICKLE: SO THE PROPELLER SENSOR
IS THIS DEVICE.
IT ATTACHES TO A PATIENT'S EXISTING MEDICATION
AND THEN PASSIVELY TRACKS WHEN THE MEDICINE IS USED,
UH, AND SENDS THAT INFORMATION ON TO--TO A SMARTPHONE.
RICHMOND? MM-HMM.
ABDALATI: IN 2012, THE CITY OF LOUISVILLE
PARTNERED WITH PROPELLER TO BEGIN DISTRIBUTING
THESE SENSORS TO ITS CITIZENS.
DAWN SIREK IS ONE OF THEM.
SIREK: IF YOU'RE A NON-ASTHMATIC,
THEN YOU DON'T HAVE TO THINK ABOUT BREATHING.
WHEN YOU'RE AN ASTHMATIC, BREATHING IS EXHAUSTING.
IT CAN BE ALL THAT I CAN DO SOME DAYS IS BREATHE.
THIS IS WHAT ASTHMA MEANS TO ME.
I DO THIS INHALER TWICE A DAY, THIS INHALER TWICE A DAY,
THIS INHALER TWICE A DAY,
AND THEN, UM, THIS INHALER AS NEEDED.
I TRACK ALL OF THESE MEDICINES WITH THE PROPELLER, UM, APP
ON MY iPHONE.
EVERY TIME I USE MY INHALER, IT SENDS
A SIGNAL TO THE APP, AND IT LOGS IT FOR ME.
IT GIVES ME ALL KINDS OF DETAILS.
IT TELLS ME HOW MANY DAYS IN THE LAST MONTH THAT
I'VE HAD SYMPTOMS, HOW MANY TIMES I'VE USED
MY RESCUE INHALER THIS WEEK.
IT TELLS ME THE LAST SEVERAL MONTHS
HOW COMPLIANT I'VE BEEN WITH MY DAILY MEDS.
WOMAN: IT LETS YOU SEE A TREND OF HOW
THE PATIENT IS DOING.
IT ALLOWS US TO OUTREACH TO THE PATIENT
TO KIND OF SEE WHAT IS GOING ON.
IS THERE AN ISSUE THAT WE CAN CATCH PRIOR
TO THEM GETTING TO THAT POINT AND MAKING IT TO THE ER?
ABDALATI: DR. JAMES SUBLETT IS DIRECTOR
OF LOUISVILLE'S LARGEST ASTHMA CENTER.
SUBLETT: OK. LET'S SEE HOW YOU'RE DOING HERE.
SUBLETT, VOICE-OVER: THE BIG BENEFIT I SEE IS WE GET
PROACTIVELY THE REPORTS OF PEOPLE WHO ARE NEEDING
SOME INTERVENTION.
ABDALATI: PREVENTION IS ESPECIALLY IMPORTANT
TO DAWN BECAUSE SHE SEES A LOT OF ASTHMA CASES
AS A PEDIATRIC NURSE AT LOUISVILLE'S
KOSAIR CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL.
SIREK: WE'RE GETTING INTO RESPIRATORY SEASON,
WHERE MOST OF OUR KIDS ARE RESPIRATORY KIDS.
KIDS WITH ASTHMA COME IN, AND THEY CAN'T BREATHE.
YOU HAVE TO HAVE SOMEBODY AT YOUR BEDSIDE ALL THE TIME.
THEY TAKE A LOT OF RESOURCES.
IT'S VERY SERIOUS.
I THINK THE SENSORS ARE GONNA REVOLUTIONIZE
ASTHMA TREATMENT.
IT'S HELPED ME FIGURE OUT WHAT MY TRIGGERS ARE
BECAUSE I HAD NO IDEA 6 MONTHS AGO
WHAT MY TRIGGERS WERE.
WOMAN, VOICE-OVER: I'VE COME TO RELY ON USING THE SENSOR.
IT'S ON MY--THE MAIN INHALER THAT I KEEP WITH ME.
IT'S--IT'S HELPFUL BECAUSE IT DOES TRACK IT.
IT TRACKS ALL OF IT.
I CAN GO IN, AND IT SHOWS ME A MAP
OF EXACTLY WHERE I WAS WHEN I USED THE INHALER.
I CAN GO IN AND PUT MY TRIGGERS,
THAT IT WAS EXERCISE, AND THEN SYMPTOMS I HAD.
UM, IT SHOWS ME A SAD FACE BECAUSE IT SAYS
MY ASTHMA'S NOT WELL-CONTROLLED BECAUSE I'VE
BEEN USING IT FOR A LOT OF STRENUOUS ACTIVITY, EXERCISE,
BUT THE ORANGE IS THE DAYS THAT I'VE USED IT OVER THE LAST WEEK.
IT'S REALLY NICE TO BE ABLE TO SE THE DATA, TO--
TO KNOW INSTEAD OF JUST TRUSTING YOUR INSTINCTS
OR YOUR GUT, BUT YOU CAN--YOU CAN PULL
THAT INFORMATION OUT, AND YOU CAN GRAPH IT,
AND YOU CAN PLOT IT, AND YOU CAN PLAY WITH IT.
VAN SICKLE: WE CAN OVER TIME BUILD UP A PICTURE
OF WHY THEY'RE HAVING SYMPTOMS, WHEN AND WHERE THEY ARE,
AND HOPEFULLY BE THERE AS A--YOU KNOW,
AS A COMPANION, UH, TO HELP UNRAVEL THIS MYSTERY OF--
OF WHAT'S CAUSING THEIR ASTHMA TO WORSEN WHEN IT DOES.
MASON'S MOM: IT ACTUALLY PUTS MY MIND AT EASE
WHEN HE'S NOT WITH ME.
I'LL KNOW WHETHER OR NOT HIS ASTHMA IS ACTING UP
WHEN HE COMES BACK TO ME REGARDLESS BECAUSE
IF IT IS THEN I'LL KNOW I NEED TO GO AHEAD AND MAKE
HIS APPOINTMENT, GET HIM ON SOME STEROID MEDICATIONS
OR WHATEVER.
ABDALATI: THE DATA IS USED FOR MORE THAN DIAGNOSING
AN INDIVIDUAL'S SYMPTOMS.
VAN SICKLE: WHERE PEOPLE USE THEIR--THEIR
RESCUE MEDICATIONS, THEIR INHALERS, IS REALLY
AN IMPORTANT MARKER OF WHAT'S HAPPENING
IN THE COMMUNITY.
THERE'S LOTS OF-- OF SMALL AREA, SPATIAL,
AND TEMPORAL VARIATION IN WHAT'S HAPPENING
WITH ASTHMA, BUT WE'VE NEVER BEEN ABLE
TO CAPTURE IT BECAUSE WE'VE NEVER--
WE'VE NEVER LOOKED, RIGHT?
UH, IT'S NEVER BEEN VISIBLE BEFORE.
ABDALATI: APPLYING THE SAME INSIGHTS GAINED
FROM STUDYING THE BARCELONA OUTBREAK,
VAN SICKLE AND HIS TEAM HOPE THIS DATA CAN BE USED
TO IDENTIFY ASTHMA HOTSPOTS ALL ACROSS THE CITY.
SO WE HAVE--WITH THIS CITIZEN SCIENCE PROJECT
AND WITH THIS CITIZEN-COLLECTED DATA,
WE HAVE ACCESS TO DATA THAT'S NEVER, EVER BEEN
AVAILABLE BEFORE, AND SO WE CAN LOOK FOR PATTERNS
OF--OF ASTHMA ACROSS THE REGION
AND THEN DO ANALYSES TO TRY TO FIGURE OUT WHAT MIGHT BE DRIVING
THOSE ATTACKS, AND SO IT WILL REALLY GIVE US
A GREAT PICTURE INTO WHAT'S GOING ON
IN JEFFERSON COUNTY.
WE DID FIND SIGNIFICANT CLUSTERS.
WE CAN SEE A CLUSTER IN THE SORT OF SOUTHWEST AREA,
A CLUSTER OVER DOWNTOWN.
INTERESTINGLY, WE SAW A CLUSTER THAT WAS
JUST EAST OF DOWNTOWN, WHICH IS IN A MORE AFFLUENT AREA,
WHICH WAS SOMETHING THAT WAS VERY UNEXPECTED.
ABDALATI: THEY HAD EXPECTED MOST ASTHMA ATTACKS
WOULD BE TRIGGERED BY INDUSTRIAL SOURCES,
BUT IT TURNED OUT WIND DIRECTION COULD MOVE
POLLUTION TO AREAS WITH NO SUCH SITES.
VAUGHN: I THINK THAT IT'S GOOD THAT WE'RE ALL CONNECTED.
WE ALL HAVE THE SAME SENSOR THAT GOES
TO ONE CENTRAL LOCATION, SO THE DATA ALL IS BEING PULLED
FROM DIFFERENT PEOPLE.
SO THEY COULD LIVE IN WEST LOUISVILLE,
EAST LOUISVILLE, SOUTH LOUISVILLE, DOWNTOWN.
THEY--EVEN SOME IN SOUTHERN INDIANA.
IF 50 PEOPLE ALL USE THEIR INHALER
WITHIN 20 MINUTES, IF THEY ALL LOOK LIKE
THEY WERE IN THE SAME LOCATION, SAY,
LIKE THUNDER OVER LOUISVILLE...
"OK, MAYBE FIREWORKS AREN'T THE BEST THING FOR ASTHMA.
"MAYBE WE'RE GONNA RECOMMEND THAT YOU DON'T
"GO TO THE RIVER AND WATCH THE FIREWORKS,
"OR IF YOU DO, YOU TAKE MORE PRECAUTION BECAUSE IT
"SEEMED LIKE EVERYBODY IN THE CITY WAS USING
THEIR INHALER AT THAT TIME."
SMITH: WE LOOK TO PROGRAMS LIKE THIS AS--
THESE ARE THE THINGS THAT WE NEED TO DO
IN OUR COMMUNITY TO CHANGE THE STATISTICS
FOR THESE DISEASES HERE.
WE WILL GET THE ECONOMIC BENEFIT,
WE WILL GET FEWER-- FEWER ER ADMISSIONS,
WE WILL GET MORE PRODUCTIVE DAYS IN THE WORKPLACE,
BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY, WE'LL GET A PLACE
WHERE PEOPLE WANT TO LIVE.
ABDALATI: PORTS BRING JOBS AND ALL THE GOOD THINGS THAT
GO WITH THEM, BUT LOADING AND UNLOADING
SHIPS AND THE TRUCKS THAT SERVICE THEM CAN
ALSO DELIVER POLLUTION TO SURROUNDING COMMUNITIES,
AND THAT'S WHAT WAS HAPPENING IN WEST OAKLAND
A DECADE OR MORE BACK.
THERE, IT WAS DATA COLLECTION AND CITIZEN SCIENCE
THAT SET THE CITY AND THE PORT ON THE PATH
TO CLEANER AIR AND BETTER HEALTH.
WOMAN: MY SON ORVAN, WHO'S THE LIGHT OF MY LIFE,
I THOUGHT HE JUST HAD A COLD.
WHAT HE WOULD DO IS HE WOULD GET UP,
AND HE WOULD CRAWL TO THE MIDDLE OF THE FLOOR,
WHERE IT WAS COOL AT, AND HE WOULD JUST LAY THERE,
AND YOU COULD JUST SEE HIS LITTLE CHEST GOING UP AND DOWN,
UP AND DOWN.
IF I WOULD HAVE BEEN TWO MORE MINUTES LATE
GETTING MY SON TO THE HOSPITAL, IT WOULDN'T HAVE BEEN
NOTHING THEY COULD HAVE DO.
HIS BRONCHIAL TUBES WOULD HAVE CLOSED UP ON HIM,
AND HE WOULD HAVE BEEN GONE.
I THINK I WOULD HAVE LOST THAT ONE
I WOULD HAVE LOST ME.
ANOTHER WAY...
ABDALATI: CASSANDRA MARTIN WORKS
WITH THE WEST OAKLAND
ENVIRONMENTAL INDICATORS PROJECT,
AN ORGANIZATION THAT ADDRESSES POOR AIR QUALITY
IN HER NEIGHBORHOOD.
WHEN IT'S SMALL LIKE THAT,
THAT'S WHEN IT GETS TO BE REALLY, REALLY DANGEROUS
AND SERIOUS, OK?
MARTIN, VOICE-OVER: ONE OF THE REASONS WHY I STARTED
DOING THIS WORK-- ALL 3 OF MY KIDS HAVE ASTHMA,
AND SO DO I.
THE ISSUE OF ASTHMA WAS THE--WAS THE--
WAS THE NUMBER ONE PROBLEM IN WEST OAKLAND.
ABDALATI: MARGARET GORDON CO-FOUNDED
THE INDICATORS PROJECT.
OK. I'M GONNA SEND YOU THE STUDY THAT WAS DONE ON,
UM, ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE FOR THE 21st CENTURY.
OK.
ALL THIS IS CONSIDERED THE WEST OAKLAND DISTRICT.
ALL THE WAY AROUND IS THE PORT OF OAKLAND.
GORDON, VOICE-OVER: IT HAS BEEN A POOR PLANNED COMMUNITY
FOR OVER 50 YEARS.
PEOPLE LIVING ALL THROUGH HERE WITH THOSE INDUSTRIAL AREAS.
HERE WE ARE RIGHT HERE.
ABDALATI: WEST OAKLAND IS SURROUNDED ON ALL SIDES
BY TWO INTERSTATES AND THE PORT OF OAKLAND.
INDUSTRIAL GROWTH HAS MEANT CITIZENS ARE FORCED
TO LIVE WITH POLLUTANTS AND CONTAMINANTS.
WHAT WAS THE SCIENCE SAYING FROM INSIDE OF THE COMMUNITY
THAT TRIGGERED PEOPLE TO HAVE ASTHMA?
THE CITIZEN SCIENCE HELPED US LOOK AT ROOT CAUSES.
ONE OF THE ROOT CAUSES WAS THE SHIPPING BUSINESS.
MAN: SO THIS IS MY LITTLE, UH,
WEST OAKLAND FIXER-UPPER.
IT WAS BUILT IN ABOUT 1886.
ABDALATI: BRIAN BEVERIDGE IS THE ORGANIZATION'S CO-FOUNDER.
BEVERIDGE: JUST OVER THAT HILL AND BEYOND THAT,
UH, SOUND WALL IS A 6-LANE, 8-LANE FREEWAY.
SO WE STARTED WITH EXISTING INFORMATION
TO LOOK AT THIS SNAPSHOT OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD,
AND THAT ALLOWED US AS A COMMUNITY TO PRIORITIZE
THE ISSUES, AND THERE WERE MANY.
THE COMMUNITY THEN SAID, "WELL, WHAT IS THE KEY
"HEALTH PROBLEM?
"WELL, IT APPEARS TO BE DIESEL POLLUTION
FROM THE WHOLE FREIGHT INDUSTRY."
GORDON: THE PORT IS OVER 500 ACRES OF LAND.
THEY HAVE ANYWHERE FROM 12-18 DOCKS.
THEY MOVE ON AVERAGE MAYBE 500,000 CONTAINERS A YEAR.
ABDALATI: TO ADDRESS THIS PROBLEM,
THE INDICATORS PROJECT LED VARIOUS TRUCK SURVEYS
GOING BACK TO 2001.
THE IDEA WAS SIMPLE-- COUNT THE NUMBER
OF TRUCKS PASSING THROUGH VARIOUS PARTS
OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD.
BEVERIDGE: THE PEOPLE OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD
HAD BEEN RUNNING BACK AND FORTH, TRYING TO GET SOMEBODY TO CARE,
AND IT WASN'T UNTIL WE WERE ABLE TO GET SOME FUNDING AND DECIDE
"WELL, IF NO ONE ELSE IS GONNA DO A TRAFFIC ANALYSIS
OF THE TRUCKS, WE'LL DO IT OURSELVES."
SO WE TAUGHT COMMUNITY MEMBERS TO SIT
ON THE CORNER IN A LITTLE LAWN CHAIR
WITH A CLIPBOARD, AND THEY COUNTED TRUCKS.
WE DID IT UNDER THE OVERSIGHT OF PROFESSIONAL
TRAFFIC SURVEYORS, AND WE HAD RESEARCH ASSISTANTS
TO THEN ASSESS THE DATA.
ABDALATI: ARMED WITH NUMBERS AND HARD DATA
AND NOT JUST COMPLAINTS AND ANECDOTES,
THE CITIZENS GOT THE CITY OF OAKLAND TO LISTEN.
BEVERIDGE: SO WE TOOK THE DATA FROM THE TRAFFIC SURVEY
AND WENT TO OUR CITY COUNCIL MEMBER
AND SAID, "WE WANT TO DO A TRUCK ROUTE ORDINANCE."
ABDALATI: THIS IS WHERE TRUCKS TRAVELED
THROUGH THE NEIGHBORHOOD BEFORE THE INDICATORS PROJECT
MAPPED THEIR ROUTES.
BEVERIDGE: FOR THE MOST PART, WE WERE ALL ABLE
TO RATIONALIZE THE LOGIC OF HAVING THE TRUCKS GO
ON THE FREEWAY AROUND THE NEIGHBORHOOD
RATHER THAN RIGHT THROUGH THE MIDDLE
OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD.
ABDALATI: AND HERE'S HOW THE COMMUNITY SCIENCE DATA
HELPED MOVE POLLUTING VEHICLES AWAY
FROM SCHOOLS AND RESIDENCES AND TOWARD THE PERIMETER.
BEVERIDGE: SO IT WAS VERY SUCCESSFUL.
IT WAS A UNANIMOUS VOTE AT CITY COUNCIL
WHEN THEY CHANGED THE ORDINANCE.
ABDALATI: NEXT AFTER THE TRUCK SURVEY,
THE INDICATORS PROJECT BEGAN COLLECTING AIR QUALITY DATA
USING AN INTEL-CREATED AIR MONITOR
CALLED A DUST TRACKER.
MARTIN: WHEN YOU HAVE IT RIGHT THERE
IN BLACK AND WHITE TO PUT IN FRONT OF THEIR FACES
THAT THIS AREA IS CONTAMINATED AND THIS IS WHAT YOU'RE DOING
TO PEOPLE, IF YOU DON'T HAVE CONSISTENT DATA
TO BACK UP WHAT YOU'RE SAYING,
THEN NO ONE'S REALLY GONNA LISTEN TO YOU.
BEVERIDGE: WE'RE NOT GOING TO EXPERTS
AND ASKING THEM TO PLEASE APPLY THEIR EXPERTISE TO US.
WE'RE GOING TO EXPERTS AND SAYING,
"WE ARE EXPERTS, TOO.
"WE ARE EXPERTS IN OUR OWN COMMUNITY.
"WE'RE EXPERTS IN OUR OWN LIVES,
"AND WE CAN PROVE IT.
WE CAN WORK TOGETHER."
MARTIN: WHAT I WANT YOU GUYS TO DO IS GET
IN THE HABIT OF WHATEVER YOU SMELL...
ABDALATI: NOW CASSANDRA IS TRAINING LOCAL TEENS
ON HOW TO DOCUMENT OTHER SOURCES OF AIR POLLUTION.
MARTIN: CAN ANYBODY TELL THAT SMELLS MAYBE
LIKE THE GARBAGE CAN?
ABDALATI: THESE STUDENTS ARE PART OF A SUMMER PROGRAM
SPONSORED BY UC BERKELEY'S
EAST BAY ACADEMY FOR YOUNG SCIENTISTS, OR EBAYS.
MARTIN: THE CIRCLE WITH THE CIRCLE IS
THE ONE THAT TURNS THE, UM, GPS ON,
AND THEN YOU'LL GET A GREEN LIGHT HERE
ON THE SATELLITE.
ABDALATI: THE TEENS PATROL THE NEIGHBORHOOD
ALONGSIDE CASSANDRA,
MAPPING POTENTIAL SITES OF POLLUTION.
BEVERIDGE: THE CITIZEN SCIENCE, AS THEY CALL IT,
IS REALLY POWERFUL WHAT WE CALL
COMMUNITY-BASED PARTICIPATORY RESEARCH, NEW BUZZWORD,
AND IT'S POWERFUL BEYOND, UH--BEYOND THE DATA.
THERE'S ALSO AN ELEMENT OF UNDERSTANDING YOUR OWN LIFE,
SORT OF FILLING IN THE BLANKS
OR--OR ADDING A LOT OF COLOR TO THE PICTURE OF OUR WORLD.
THINGS WE HADN'T NOTICED BEFORE NOW BECOME
THINGS WE NOTICE.
HELLO. HOW ARE YOU?
HI. HOW ARE YOU?
MAN: THE STUDENTS COME AWAY WITH AN UNDERSTANDING
THAT ONCE YOU HAVE THIS FACTUAL INFORMATION
THAT CAN'T BE DISPUTED, MAINLY AS THE RESULT OF THE FACT
THAT THE STUDENTS ARE USING PROFESSIONAL EQUIPMENT
AND--AND PROTOCOLS THAT ARE ACCEPTED
BY THE ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
AND OTHER SCIENTIFIC BODIES, THEY CAN PUSH POLICY-MAKERS
TO PERHAPS MITIGATE SOME OF THE PROBLEMS
THAT THEY UNCOVER.
ABDALATI: EBAYS STUDENT'S AREN'T JUST COLLECTING
DATA FROM THE STREETS.
THEY'RE GOING UNDERGROUND TO THE STATIONS
OF THE BAY AREA RAPID TRANSIT SYSTEM, OR BART.
CUFF: THE STUDY ESSENTIALLY ENTAILS
STUDENTS TRAVELING TO VARIOUS BART STATIONS
AND--AND ASCERTAINING THE CONCENTRATION LEVELS
OF PARTICULATE MATTER IN THOSE STATIONS,
BOTH INDOOR STATIONS AND UNDERGROUND STATIONS.
UH, THE EMBARCADERO BART STATION,
WHICH IS THE MOST FREQUENTLY USED BART STATION
IN SAN FRANCISCO, WE FOUND THAT
PARTICULATE MATTER CONCENTRATION LEVELS THERE
WERE THROUGH THE ROOF,
WAY ABOVE ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
MANDATED STANDARDS.
ABDALATI: DUSTIN GZRESIK IS ONE OF EBAYS' INSTRUCTORS.
GZRESIK: WHEN THE STUDENTS HAVE BEEN ABLE
TO GO OUT AND WALK AROUND THE COMMUNITY
AND COLLECT DATA AND THEN OBSERVE THINGS,
THEY UNDERSTAND THE CORRELATION BETWEEN THE DATA AND THE SOURCES
OF THE POLLUTION THAT THEY'RE INTERESTED IN.
BOY: THIS IS CALLED THE DUST TRACKER.
IT MEASURES HOW MUCH DUST AND PARTICULATE MATTER
THERE IS IN THE AIR.
PARTICULATE MATTER IS THE LITTLE DUST PARTICLES
THAT WE CAN'T SEE.
THE MORE CARS PASS BY,
THE MORE PARTICULATE MATTER THERE IS,
AND THE LESS CARS THAT PASS BY, THE LESS THERE ARE.
BECAUSE OF THE LOW-COST SENSORS AVAILABLE
IN THE SMARTPHONES OR OTHER DEVICES,
THE STUDENTS CAN COLLECT DATA AND IMMEDIATELY BEGIN
INTERPRETING THEM.
ABDALATI: IN DECEMBER 2015, SOME
OF THE STUDENTS PRESENTED THEIR FINDINGS
AT THE AMERICAN GEOPHYSICAL UNION,
WHICH IS ONE OF THE LARGEST AND BUSIEST GATHERINGS
OF PROFESSIONAL EARTH AND SPACE SCIENTISTS.
I MEAN, COMING TO AGU, LIKE, THAT--THAT'S AMAZING.
LIKE, I DIDN'T REALLY REALIZE HOW BIG OF A DEAL
IT WAS UNTIL I STARTED LOOKING INTO IT.
WE HAVE SOMETHING TO BRING TO THE TABLE, TOO,
JUST US HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS, AND PEOPLE WANT
TO HEAR WHAT WE HAVE TO SAY.
ABDALATI: MM-HMM. YEAH.
IT'S KIND OF EXCITING... YEAH.
THAT WHAT I'M DOING, LIKE, REALLY MATTERS.
IT DOES MATTER, IT DOES MATTER.
YEAH. IT GIVES US HOPE, LIKE, WE MIGHT CHANGE
SOMETHING, YOU KNOW, MAKE A CHANGE TO BART.
BEVERIDGE: WE SOMETIMES FRIGHTEN THE STATISTICIANS
BECAUSE THEY WOULD PREFER TO HAVE A LITTLE BIT
OF PERFECTLY PRISTINE, ABSOLUTELY, YOU KNOW, 100% DATA
FROM A MILLION-DOLLAR MACHINE, AND WE'RE SAYING, "NO, NO.
"LET'S TAKE THIS, YOU KNOW, $200 MACHINE
AND START MAKING DECISIONS BASED ON IT."
BUT THE NOTION IS THAT IF YOU HAD, YOU KNOW,
ONE MILLION-DOLLAR MACHINE YOU CAN DO SO MUCH WITH THAT,
BUT IF YOU HAVE A MILLION HUNDRED-DOLLAR MACHINES
ALL SPEWING DATA INTO THE CLOUD,
TURNING IT BACK TO US IN A DIRECT FEEDBACK LOOP,
THEN WE START TO ADJUST BEHAVIOR IMMEDIATELY.
HAS ANYBODY ELSE NOTICED ANYTHING ELSE?
MARTIN, VOICE-OVER: I BELIEVE IN WHAT I'M DOING.
I LOVE WHAT I'M DOING.
I'M LEARNING ABOUT TOXINS.
I'M LEARNING HOW IT AFFECTS YOU.
I'M LEARNING HOW IT ATTACKS THE BODY.
I'M LEARNING HOW TO TEACH OTHER PEOPLE TO DO
WHAT I DO SO THEY COULD DO IT FOR THEMSELVES
AND TO BETTER PROTECT THEMSELVES AND THEIR FAMILIES,
AND FOR ME TO BE ABLE TO MAKE THAT DIFFERENCE,
IT'S IMPORTANT TO ME.
ABDALATI: CITIES, OF COURSE, WANT BOOMING ECONOMIES,
AND THAT OFTEN MEANS BUSY DOCKS
AND CROWDED AIRPORTS, AND THAT'S A GOOD THING,
BUT TODAY'S INTERNATIONAL COMMERCE MEANS THAT DISEASES
TRAVEL FROM CONTINENT TO CONTINENT.
ILLNESSES SUCH AS CHOLERA AND ZIKA CAN GO GLOBAL, AS WELL.
MAPPING DISEASE IS OFTEN THE FIRST WAY TO FIGHT BACK,
AS WE SAW IN LOUISVILLE, AND THAT'S A STORY
WITH A FASCINATING BUT LITTLE KNOWN CITIZEN SCIENCE ANGLE,
OR MAYBE I SHOULD CALL IT "CLERGYMAN SCIENCE,"
BUT IT'S WHEN INDIVIDUALS MAPPING AN EPIDEMIC FIRST SHOWED
THE VALUE OF STREET KNOWLEDGE AND BOOTS ON THE GROUND.
AS A FAMOUS LONDONER OF VICTORIAN ENGLAND,
CHARLES DICKENS, WAS TO WRITE,
"IT WAS THE BEST OF TIMES, IT WAS THE WORST OF TIMES."
RICHARD BARNETT IS A HISTORIAN OF MEDICINE
AND OUR GUIDE TO WHAT HAPPENED.
IN THE MID-19th CENTURY, LONDON WAS THE LARGEST CITY
ON EARTH WITH A POPULATION OF MORE THAN 2.5 MILLION.
IT WAS THE CAPITAL OF A GREAT, WORLDWIDE EMPIRE,
A TRULY GLOBALIZED CITY, LIKE MODERN-DAY MUMBAI
OR NEW YORK.
THE DOCKS ALONG THE RIVER THAMES WERE FILLED
WITH SHIPS, AND THOSE SHIPS WERE CRAMMED
WITH GOODS BROUGHT FROM AROUND THE WORLD.
ABDALATI: THESE SHIPS CARRIED MORE THAN JUST THEIR CARGOES.
THEY BROUGHT DEATH TO THE HEART
OF THE NEW INDUSTRIAL CITIES.
CHOLERA CAME TO LONDON FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 1832,
AND IN A FEW MONTHS,
IT KILLED MORE THAN 6,000 PEOPLE.
THE MAGAZINES CALLED IT "KING CHOLERA,"
BUT ITS CAUSES WERE FAR FROM CLEAR.
BARNETT: WALKING THROUGH THE VICTORIAN CITY,
IT SEEMED OBVIOUS TO MOST OBSERVERS THAT POVERTY
AND DISEASE WENT HAND IN HAND WITH STENCH AND DIRT.
THESE FILTHY STREETS AND HOUSES STANK.
WE'RE IN SOHO.
IT'S A BUSTLING DISTRICT FILLED WITH THEATERS,
BARS, AND RESTAURANTS.
VICTORIAN SOHO WAS LIVELY, DIRTY, AND POOR,
CRAMMED WITH PROSTITUTES AND PRIESTS,
BREWERS AND BUSINESSMEN, AND LIKE ALL LONDONERS,
THEY NEEDED TO RELIEVE THEMSELVES SOMEWHERE.
ABDALATI: FOR CENTURIES, LONDONERS HAD EMPTIED
THEIR CHAMBER POTS INTO CESSPITS
IN THEIR CELLARS.
EVERY FEW WEEKS THE NIGHT SOIL MEN CLEARED OUT
THE CONTENTS AND CARTED IT OFF TO THE FARMS
SURROUNDING THE CITY.
URBAN WASTE BECAME VALUABLE FERTILIZER.
MAINSTREAM MEDICAL THEORY SAW A DIRECT CONNECTION
BETWEEN THESE BAD SMELLS AND EPIDEMIC DISEASES
LIKE CHOLERA.
ANYTHING THAT STANK, WHETHER IT WAS SEWERS,
FACTORY CHIMNEYS, DEAD BODIES, WAS RELEASING
POISONOUS VAPORS, MIASMAS, INTO THE AIR.
ABDALATI: INSPIRED IN PART BY THIS MIASMATIC THEORY
OF CHOLERA, THE GOVERNMENT PASSED
THE NUISANCE LAWS, BANNING CESSPITS
AND ENSURING THAT NEW HOUSES HAD SEWERS CONNECTED
TO THE THAMES.
THIS LOOKED LIKE PROGRESS, AND IF THAT AIRBORNE THEORY
WAS CORRECT, IT SHOULD HAVE SOLVED THE PROBLEM OF CHOLERA.
BARNETT: THE THAMES, ONLY A FEW DECADES BEFORE,
HAD BEEN A FAIRLY HEALTHY RIVER,
HOME TO SALMON, EELS, AND HERRING,
BUT NO LONGER.
THE BUILDER THOMAS CUBITT OBSERVED THAT
"THE THAMES IS NOW BECOME A GREAT CESSPOOL
INSTEAD OF EACH PERSON HAVING ONE OF THEIR OWN."
WORSE, MORE AND MORE LONDONERS WERE HAVING
THEIR DRINKING WATER PUMPED STRAIGHT
FROM THE RIVER INTO THEIR HOMES.
THE PHYSICIAN ARTHUR HASSALL POINTED OUT THAT
WEALTHIER LONDONERS WERE NOT ONLY
"CONSUMING A PORTION OF THEIR OWN EXCREMENT"
BUT ALSO "PAYING FOR THE PRIVILEGE."
WITH HINDSIGHT, WE CAN SEE THAT A LAW INTENDED
TO PREVENT CHOLERA IN REALITY HAD CREATED
A GREAT CYCLE OF REINFECTION.
CHOLERA CAME AGAIN IN 1848, KILLING MORE THAN
60,000 THIS TIME, AND 6 YEARS LATER IN 1854,
A SMALLER OUTBREAK HIT SOHO.
FEWER PEOPLE DIED, BUT A BRILLIANT PHYSICIAN
AND A LOCAL CLERGYMAN FOUND AN ENTIRELY NEW WAY
TO VISUALIZE DISEASE AND TO UNDERSTAND ITS CAUSES.
THE DOCTOR'S NAME WAS JOHN SNOW.
TODAY HE'S CELEBRATED BY THE MEDICAL PROFESSION,
AND IN TYPICALLY ENGLISH FASHION,
THIS TEETOTAL DOCTOR HAS A PUB NAMED AFTER HIM ONLY
A FEW STREETS FROM WHERE HE LIVED.
THE CLERGYMAN IN OUR STORY WAS THE REVEREND HENRY WHITEHEAD,
THEN JUST 29 YEARS OLD.
WHITEHEAD HAD ABSOLUTELY NO MEDICAL TRAINING.
TODAY, WE MIGHT CALL HIM A CITIZEN SCIENTIST,
BUT IT WAS HIS KNOWLEDGE OF THE AREA
AND ITS RESIDENTS THAT HELPED HIM TO SOLVE THE MYSTERY
OF THE 1854 OUTBREAK.
[BELL TOLLING]
ABDALATI: CHOLERA IS A CRUEL KILLER.
UNCONTROLLABLE DIARRHEA MEANS MOST VICTIMS DIE
OF DEHYDRATION AND ORGAN FAILURE
WITHIN DAYS OR EVEN HOURS.
IN JUST TWO DAYS, CHOLERA KILLED 10%
OF THE PEOPLE IN THIS NEIGHBORHOOD,
AND MANY OTHERS FLED.
BUT NOT SNOW.
HIS EXPERIENCE OF PREVIOUS EPIDEMICS
AND HIS WORK ON ANESTHESIA LED HIM
TO THINK THAT POISONED AIR COULD NOT POSSIBLY BE RESPONSIBLE.
LIKE ANOTHER FAMOUS LONDONER SHERLOCK HOLMES,
SNOW TURNED DETECTIVE AND WENT LOOKING FOR CLUES.
THE POOR OF SOHO COULD NOT
AFFORD PIPED WATER,
AND SO THEY USED PUBLIC PUMPS ON THE STREETS.
SNOW SUSPECTED THAT THE WATER FROM THESE PUMPS
WAS SPREADING THE DISEASE, BUT HE NEEDED EVIDENCE,
STRONG EVIDENCE, TO CONVINCE HIS MEDICAL COLLEAGUES
AND THE LOCAL AUTHORITIES.
IN JUST ONE DAY, SNOW COLLECTED
DETAILED INFORMATION FROM THE FAMILY AND NEIGHBORS
OF MORE THAN 70 CHOLERA VICTIMS.
HE AND WHITEHEAD POUNDED THESE PAVEMENTS,
GOING DOOR TO DOOR.
THEIR BIG QUESTION WAS WHERE DO YOU GET YOUR
DRINKING WATER?
WORKERS AT A LOCAL BREWERY, THE LION,
WHICH STOOD RIGHT HERE, SEEMED TO BE IMMUNE TO CHOLERA.
OF 70 EMPLOYEES, NOT ONE DIED,
BUT SNOW DISCOVERED THAT THE WORKERS WERE TAKING
THEIR WATER FROM A PRIVATE WELL INSIDE THE BREWERY,
OR, BETTER STILL, THEY DRANK ONLY BEER.
SNOW'S RESEARCHES TURNED UP ANOTHER GEOGRAPHICAL CLUE.
SUSANNAH ELEY HAD LEFT SOHO AFTER THE DEATH
OF HER HUSBAND, AND SHE HAD COME TO LIVE HERE
IN HAMPSTEAD, A VILLAGE A FEW MILES NORTH OF THE CITY,
BUT SHE'D ACQUIRED, HEAVEN KNOWS HOW,
A TASTE FOR SOHO'S PUMP WATER.
SHE HAD BARRELS OF THE WATER BROUGHT UP TO HER HOUSE,
SHE DRANK IT REGULARLY, AND SHE DIED OF CHOLERA.
THIS RED CURBSTONE MARKS THE EXACT SITE
OF THE PUMP ON BROAD STREET.
SNOW FOUND THAT CHOLERA DEATHS CLUSTERED
AROUND THIS PUMP, FAMOUS FOR DISPENSING
THE SWEETEST WATER IN SOHO.
WHITEHEAD, PUTTING HIS COMMUNITY KNOWLEDGE
AND SOCIAL CONNECTIONS TO WORK, FOUND WHAT TODAY
WE'D CALL PATIENT ZERO.
"BABY LEWIS"--WE DON'T KNOW HER FIRST NAME--
LIVED AND DIED HERE AT 40 BROAD STREET.
WHITEHEAD FOUND OUT THAT HER MOTHER, SARAH LEWIS,
HAD RINSED DIARRHEA-SOAKED DIAPERS IN PAILS
OF WATER FOR SEVERAL DAYS AFTER HER BABY HAD FALLEN ILL.
THEN SHE POURED THE CONTAMINATED WATER
INTO A CESSPOOL BENEATH HER HOUSE.
EXCAVATIONS LATER SHOWED THAT THIS CESSPOOL
HAD BEEN LEAKING INTO THE WELL THAT SUPPLIED
THE BROAD STREET PUMP.
ITS SWEET WATER HAD TURNED DEADLY.
HERE IN SOHO, SNOW SHOWED THAT THIS NEW WAY
OF THINKING ABOUT DISEASE COULD HAVE PRACTICAL,
REAL-WORLD CONSEQUENCES.
TAKE A LOOK AT THIS MAP.
THIS WAS PUBLISHED IN A BOOK THAT SNOW WROTE
ABOUT CHOLERA IN 1855.
HE TOOK A MAP OF SOHO, AND HE MARKED ON IT
THE LOCATION AND NUMBER OF DEATHS FROM CHOLERA.
IN DOING SO, HE SHOWED VERY CLEARLY THAT DEATHS
CLUSTERED AROUND THE PUMP ON BROAD STREET.
NOW SNOW HIMSELF LIVED ONLY A 5-MINUTE WALK AWAY
OVER HERE ON FRITH STREET.
SO THIS EPIDEMIC WAS HAPPENING IN HIS NEIGHBORHOOD.
HE WAS DEEPLY FAMILIAR WITH IT,
AND HE AND WHITEHEAD USED THEIR LOCAL KNOWLEDGE
TO SEE THINGS THAT OTHERS SIMPLY COULDN'T SEE.
THIS IS A SIMPLE AND A BRILLIANT PRESENTATION
OF WHAT WE'D NOW CALL GEO-CODED DATA,
AND IT SHOWS WHY MAPS, WHETHER THEY ARE MADE
WITH PAPER AND PENCIL OR SATELLITES AND SMARTPHONES,
ARE CENTRAL TO THE WORK OF MEDICAL DETECTIVES.
WHEN IT WAS REDISCOVERED IN THE EARLY 20th CENTURY,
SNOW AND WHITEHEAD'S WORK INSPIRED A GENERATION
OF PUBLIC HEALTH DOCTORS AND EPIDEMIOLOGISTS,
AND IT CONTINUES TO DO SO TODAY.
MANY OF THEM SEE SNOW'S MAP AS THE FOUNDING CHARTER
OF GEOMEDICINE, AND IT WOULDN'T HAVE HAPPENED
HAD SNOW AND WHITEHEAD STAYED IN DOCTORS' OFFICES AND CLINICS.
IT TOOK A POTENT MIX OF CITIZEN SCIENCE,
SHOE LEATHER, AND MAP-MAKING TO TRACK
AND CONFRONT A KILLER.
DENGUE FEVER, CHIKUNGUNYA, ZIKA.
UNTIL RECENTLY, THESE DISEASES WERE UNFAMILIAR
TO MANY OF US, BUT NOW VIRUSES THAT ORIGINATED
IN FORESTS FAR AWAY ARE BEING FOUND
ALL OVER THE WORLD.
THEY'RE SPREAD BY MOSQUITOES LIKE
AEDES AEGYPTI
OR AEDES ALBOPICTUS,
RESEARCHERS THINK THAT A WARMING CLIMATE
WILL BRING MORE EXOTIC TROPICAL DISEASES IN THE COMING DECADES,
BUT THEY ALSO THINK THAT CITIZEN SCIENCE
AND INNOVATIVE APPS CAN BE A POWERFUL WAY TO FIGHT BACK.
MAN: SO WHAT WE ARE DOING NOW IS ENTERING
THE FIFTH WARD.
AEDES AEGYPTI IS A MOSQUITO THAT LIVES
IN VERY CLOSE ASSOCIATION WITH HUMANS.
THEY ONLY FEED ON HUMANS.
HOTEZ: HERE'S A GOOD POSTER CHILD FOR ZIKA RIGHT HERE.
THERE'S THE DISCARDED TIRES.
THERE'S THE HOUSES WITHOUT WINDOW SCREENS.
WHEN WE GO ACTUALLY OUT TO LOOK FOR AEDES AEGYPTI,
WE CAN GUARANTEE THAT WE'RE GOING TO FIND IT
IN THE POORER COMMUNITIES.
THE MOSQUITO THAT SPREADS DENGUE, ZIKA, CHIKUNGUNYA
ARE CONTAINER BREEDERS.
HOTEZ: AND SO THEY LIVE IN TIRES, THEY LIVE
IN FLOWERPOTS, THEY--UH, THEY LIVE IN BIRDBATHS.
THOSE HAVE TO BE EMPTIED.
AND IT'S NO LONGER SOMETHING FAR AWAY
IN TROPICAL REGIONS.
OH, NO, IT'S ALL RIGHT HERE.
HOTEZ: I DON'T SEE HOW WE'RE GOING TO
EFFECTIVELY CONTROL AEDES AEGYPTI MOSQUITOES
AND PREVENT ZIKA WITHOUT THE COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT.
THE COMMUNITY HAS GOT TO BE,
UH, OUT IN FRONT ON THIS BECAUSE IF YOU ONLY RELY
ON TRADITIONAL PUBLIC HEALTH CONTROL MEASURES
AND INSTITUTIONAL HEALTH ORGANIZATIONS,
THEY CAN'T DO IT ALL.
IT'S HOUSE-TO-HOUSE, GOING INTO POOR NEIGHBORHOODS,
HARD SLOGGING.
IT IS THE POSTER CHILD FOR CITIZEN SCIENCE.
[BELL TOLLING]
ABDALATI: BARCELONA, SPAIN, ONE OF THE WORLD'S
MOST BEAUTIFUL CITIES, WITH PARKS, FOUNTAINS,
AND PLENTIFUL WATER.
AS EARLY AS 2004, SPANISH RESEARCHERS
HAD BEGUN TO FIND AN INVASIVE MOSQUITO SPECIES,
AEDES ALBOPICTUS, KNOWN AS THE ASIAN TIGER MOSQUITO
FOR ITS DISTINCTIVE WHITE STRIPES.
INITIALLY, WE KNEW IT CARRIED YELLOW FEVER AND DENGUE,
BUT WE'VE SINCE FOUND OUT THAT IT TRANSMITS ZIKA, AS WELL.
IN 2013, RESEARCHERS BEGAN TO ENLIST
CITIZEN SCIENTISTS USING A SMARTPHONE APP TO RECORD
WHERE THESE TIGER MOSQUITOES WERE BEING FOUND.
MAN: EVERYONE IN THIS CITY HAS BEEN BITTEN
BY A MOSQUITO, AND IT SUCKS.
I MEAN, THAT'S-- THAT'S THE TRUTH.
SO BY REPORTING THIS IF I CAN HELP IN ANY WAY,
LIKE, ERADICATING AND CONTROLLING
THE MOSQUITOES, WELL, I FEEL WELL ABOUT IT.
I MEAN, AND EVERYONE SHOULD FEEL THE SAME.
WOMAN: MOSQUITO ALERT IS A VERY GOOD PROJECT
BECAUSE IT IS CENTERED IN A VERY BIG PROBLEM.
THAT IS, WE HAVE BEEN INVADED BY A NEW MOSQUITO SPECIES,
AND OF COURSE DETECTING THEM
AND AVOIDING THEM TO REPRODUCE IS
THE--IS THE KEY POINT.
ABDALATI: THROUGH THE EFFORTS OF CITIZEN SCIENCE PROPONENTS
SUCH AS UNIVERSITY PROFESSOR JOSEP PERELLÓ,
THE CITY OF BARCELONA SUPPORTS
A MUNICIPAL OFFICE OF CITIZEN SCIENCE,
THE FIRST SUCH OFFICE ANYWHERE.
CITY OFFICIALS HELPED FUND MOSQUITO ALERT
AS ONE OF 6 PILOT PROJECTS.
SO CITIZEN SCIENCE FOR ME PRESENTS
A TOTALLY DIFFERENT ETHICS, WHERE THE DATA BECOMES
A SHARED RESOURCES.
HERE IN BARCELONA, WE ARE TALKING ABOUT DATA COMMONS,
WHICH IS A COMMON GOOD, A PUBLIC GOOD,
THAT CAN BE USED TO IMPROVE PEOPLES' LIVES.
MOSQUITO, I GUESS, IS EXPANDING RIGHT NOW,
SO BEING ABLE TO TELL WHERE IT HAS ARRIVED PRESENTLY,
I THINK, IS, LIKE, THE MOST IMPORTANT
PREVENTIVE ACTION YOU COULD TAKE.
MAN: WE HAVE THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE RUNNING THE APP
IN THE MOSQUITO PERIOD.
WE ARE EMPOWERING CITIZENS, THAT'S FOR SURE.
THAT'S PART OF THE REVOLUTION.
WE ARE EMPOWERING CITIZENS TO--TO DO
RESEARCH AND TO PROMOTE INFORMATION AND TO BE
INFORMED THEMSELVES.
MAN: SMARTPHONES AND PARTICULARLY SMARTPHONES
THAT HAVE GPS RECEIVERS ARE--THEY'RE ESSENTIAL
FOR--FOR OUR PROJECT, WHICH MEANS THAT WE CAN
NOT ONLY HAVE PEOPLE WITH AN INCREDIBLE
SAMPLING TOOL AVAILABLE.
WE CAN ALSO HAVE SOMETHING THAT IS
ESSENTIALLY A PART OF THIS PERSON'S BODY,
AN EXTENSION OF THIS PERSON'S, UH, EXISTENCE,
WHICH IS CONSTANTLY TRANSMITTING INFORMATION
BACK AND FORTH WHICH CAN BE USED TO COMMUNICATE
WITH US AND OTHER CITIZEN SCIENTISTS.
WOMAN: IF YOU PARTICIPATE IN THIS PROJECT AND YOU
ARE PART OF A GROUP SENDING THESE PICTURES
AND THEN YOU ARE INFORMED ABOUT WHICH ACTIONS
ARE BEING TAKEN, I THINK SOMEHOW YOU FEEL THAT
YOU'RE FIGHTING WITH A PROB--AGAINST THIS PROBLEM,
BUT WITH YOUR COMMUNITY, AND I THINK
THIS IS ONE OF THE-- THE MOST IMPORTANT MOTIVATIONS
FOR PARTICIPATING.
PALMER: WE'RE LEARNING ABOUT THE DISTRIBUTION
OF MOSQUITOES IN WAYS THAT WE COULDN'T LEARN BEFORE.
WE'RE LEARNING AT LARGER SCALES THAN WE'D BE ABLE
TO OTHERWISE KNOW.
UM, SO WE KNOW A LOT MORE ABOUT THE MOSQUITO DISTRIBUTION
IN--IN SPAIN AS A RESULT OF THIS PROJECT.
SO WE START TO LEARN ABOUT HOW MOSQUITOES SEEM
TO BE USING GLOBAL, UM, TRANSPORTATION,
GLOBAL COMMERCE CHAINS,
UH, AND ALSO MEDIUM SCALE TRANSPORTATION,
PROBABLY HITCHHIKING IN CARS WITH PEOPLE.
ABDALATI: THIS MAP DOCUMENTS THE AREAS WHERE
TRADITIONAL METHODS WERE USED TO TRAP TIGER MOSQUITOES.
REPORTS FROM THE MOSQUITO ALERT APP DELIVERED EVIDENCE
OF A MUCH MORE EXTENSIVE GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION.
PALMER: THAT'S A BIG DIFFERENCE, AND THAT'S SOMETHING
WHERE MOSQUITO ALERT HAS BEEN VERY USEFUL
IN--IN GIVING US THE DATA THAT WE NEED TO ANALYZE
THOSE QUESTIONS.
OLTRA: I THINK ONE OF THE BENEFITS
OF MAPPING THINGS IS TO MAKE THINGS CLEAR, UNDERSTANDABLE,
AND PUBLIC TO EVERYONE.
ABDALATI: MOSQUITO ALERT STARTED AS A WAY
FOR PROFESSIONAL SCIENTISTS TO GET BETTER DATA
FOR THEIR ACADEMIC RESEARCH.
SOON, CITIZEN SCIENTISTS ADDED PRACTICAL
AND IMMEDIATE USES.
FERRÉ: WHEN I WAS TELLING CITIZENS
WHAT I WOULD DO WITH THEIR DATA IS I'M GONNA MAKE MAPS
AND I'M GONNA MAKE PREDICTIONS,
BUT THE--THE SAME CITIZENS START TO ASK US,
"LOOK. UH, WE REALLY HAVE MOSQUITOES HERE.
CAN YOU HELP US TO GET RID OF THESE MOSQUITOES?"
ABDALATI: MOSQUITO ALERT ALSO INVITES FEEDBACK FROM USERS.
FERRÉ: SO WHERE THE SAME NOTES
OF THE CITIZENS THROUGH THE APP TELLING US THAT
THEY WANTED SOMETHING MORE THAN RESEARCH AND A MAP.
SO THEREFORE WE STARTED TO--TO HAVE CONTACT
WITH MANAGEMENT PEOPLE, WITH THE PEOPLE THAT HAS
THE REAL SKILLS AND TOOLS, AND THEY ARE
CAPACITATED TO CONTROL THE MOSQUITOES IN THE CITY.
PALMER: SO I THINK PROBABLY THE MOST IMPORTANT RESULT
IS THE ABILITY TO DETECT MOSQUITOES IN LOCATIONS
THAT WE WOULDN'T OTHERWISE BE SURVEILLING OR SAMPLING
USING TRADITIONAL METHODS.
AS THEY'RE HELPING US TO-- TO DISCOVER THESE NEW AREAS
AND TO SEE HOW MOSQUITO POPULATIONS ARE CHANGING,
THEY'RE ALSO UNDERSTANDING THE MOSQUITO THEMSELVES,
AND THEY'RE SHARING THAT INFORMATION WITH THEIR FRIENDS.
FERRÉ: WE CAN NOT ONLY SAY THAT WE ARE DOING SCIENCE,
UH, WITH THEIR DATA, BUT WE CAN ALSO DO--
WE ARE ALSO DOING MANAGEMENT.
SO THE MORE THEY REPORT, AS THIS INFORMATION
IS ENTERING INTO THE PUBLIC HEALTH AGENCIES,
THE MORE THEY WILL, UH, BE HAVING SOMEONE
CONTROLLING FOR THE MOSQUITOES LOCALLY.
ABDALATI: THE UNIVERSITY RESEARCHERS COMPARED
THE ACCURACY OF REPORTS FROM CITIZEN SCIENTISTS
AGAINST TRADITIONAL SURVEILLANCE TECHNIQUES.
THEY FOUND THAT THE VOLUNTEER DATA IS
EQUIVALENT IN QUALITY BUT CAN EXPAND MORE QUICKLY
AND MORE ECONOMICALLY OVER LARGE DISTANCES,
COMPLEMENTING THE EFFORTS OF PUBLIC HEALTH AGENCIES.
FERRÉ: SO IT'S NOT THAT CITIZEN SCIENCE IS
BETTER AT THIS MOMENT.
IT'S EXACTLY THE SAME.
SO WE HAVE THE SAME DATA QUALITY THAT WE WOULD HAVE,
UH, WITH SCIENTIFIC METHODS THAT HAVE BEEN USED FOR DECADES.
ESCOBAR: I THINK MOSQUITO ALERT IS AN EASY PLATFORM
IN ORDER TO GATHER INFORMATION.
THE CITIZEN POWER IS THE RIGHT POWER.
MURIEL: THE THING IS IT'S CITIZENS WORKING
FOR THE CITIZENS AND FOR THE CITY,
AND I THINK THAT'S, LIKE, THE BIGGEST BENEFIT FROM ALL
BECAUSE, I MEAN, ALL THE CITIZENS
FROM THE TOWN BENEFIT FROM THE WORK I'M DOING.
I BENEFIT FROM THE WORK OTHERS ARE DOING HERE IN TOWN.
ABDALATI: NOW THE SPANISH RESEARCHERS HOPE THEIR APP
CAN GO GLOBAL JUST LIKE MOSQUITOES
AND TROPICAL DISEASES HAVE DONE.
MOSQUITO ALERT HAS ALREADY BEEN TRANSLATED
INTO CHINESE AND IS BEING TESTED IN HONG KONG,
AND IN THE UNITED STATES, THE GLOBE PROGRAM,
AN INTERNATIONAL SCIENCE EDUCATION PROJECT
SUPPORTED BY NASA, NSF, NOAA, AND THE STATE DEPARTMENT,
IS ADAPTING A MOSQUITO IDENTIFICATION PROTOCOL
FOR CITIZEN SCIENTISTS THAT WAS PREVIOUSLY USED IN SCHOOLS.
WOMAN: BUT AS YOU LOOK AROUND, LET'S SEE IF YOU THINK
THERE--THERE IS STANDING WATER IN PLACES,
AND IF THERE'S STANDING WATER, WELL...
WOMAN: YOU HAVE A HABITAT.
YOU HAVE A HABITAT. YEAH.
THE SPECIMEN RIGHT BE IN FOCU--
SHOULD BE IN FOCUS, SO THEN YOU CAN MOVE
YOUR LIGHT ANYWHERE YOU WANT.
ABDALATI: THE AIM IS TO DEVELOP AN APP,
USING A $6.00 MICROSCOPE
THAT ATTACHES TO A SMARTPHONE,
TO HELP CITIZENS IDENTIFY
THE MOSQUITO SPECIES THAT BRING ZIKA.
WOMAN: WE'VE BEEN DO--I'M GONNA MAKE THIS A LITTLE BIT BIGGER,
BUT DO YOU SEE ALL THOSE RED TRIANGLES RIGHT THERE?
SO HERE IS THE SITE THAT WE FOUND...
ABDALATI: JUST AS IN SPAIN, THE APP WILL ALSO
ALLOW CITIZENS TO MAP LOCATIONS WHERE STANDING WATER
PROVIDES BREEDING SITES.
THAT WILL ALERT LOCAL HEALTH AUTHORITIES
AND TRIGGER ERADICATION EFFORTS.
I HAVE NOT PUT ANY SAMPLES INTO MY PHONE.
THESE ARE THE ONES THAT YOU GUYS HAVE DONE,
BUT IT'S ALL GOING, YOU KNOW, INTO THE CLOUD
AND THEN INTO THE MAP WE ALL SHARE.
HOTEZ: WE CAN FORGET ABOUT HAVING A ZIKA VACCINE
IN TIME FOR THIS EPIDEMIC, BUT THERE'S
A LOT WE COULD BE DOING NOW.
IT'S NOT HIGHLY TECHNICAL, A LOT OF IT,
SO IT'S, YOU KNOW, PICKING UP DISCARDED TIRES
NEAR HOMES, GETTING RID OF PLASTIC CONTAINERS
THAT CONTAIN STANDING WATER.
ALL THESE THINGS DON'T REQUIRE A Ph.D.,
AND THEY DON'T REQUIRE AN M.D.
I THINK CITIZEN SCIENCE CAN HAVE AN IMPORTANT ROLE HERE.
IN THE DEVELOPED WORLD, SMARTPHONES
AND INNOVATIVE SENSORS ARE CHANGING THE WAY
ENVIRONMENTAL AND HEALTH DATA ARE CAPTURED AND SHARED.
IN THE DEVELOPING WORLD, INNOVATIVE USES
OF SIMPLER TECHNOLOGIES ARE ALLOWING PEOPLE
TO DO MORE WITH LESS.
HERE'S HOW KENYAN APP DEVELOPERS, WORKING
WITH A SAN FRANCISCO STARTUP,
ARE DELIVERING IMPROVED HEALTH OUTCOMES USING
BASIC $15 PHONES.
AND I WAS CLEANING IT SO THOROUGHLY AND NICE,
AND MY BROTHER WAS SCREAMING,
AND DAD WAS LIKE, "OH, JANE.
YOU'RE GOING TO BE THE BEST NURSE IN THE WORLD."
I USED TO HATE EVERY MOMENT THAT WE WOULD LOSE A BABY.
I STARTED LOOKING FOR EVERY OPTION TO GET
INTO MEDIC MOBILE.
ABDALATI: THERE ARE NOW MORE MOBILE PHONES
ON EARTH THAN PEOPLE ON OUR PLANET.
ACROSS AFRICA, MOBILE BANKING HAS ALREADY
REVOLUTIONIZED SOCIETY.
NOW IT'S THE TURN OF M-HEALTH, HEALTH CARE
ENHANCED BY MOBILE TECHNOLOGY.
AND IF THEY HAVE A MOBILE SIGNAL,
IT MEANS THEY CAN CONNECT TO THE WORLD.
ABDALATI: MEDIC MOBILE FOUNDER JOSH NESBIT HAD
WORKED IN MALAWI WHILE STUDYING TO BE
A DOCTOR AT STANFORD.
HE NOTICED HIS PHONE HAD MANY BARS OF SIGNAL
WHILE RURAL COMMUNITIES LACKED DOCTORS.
IN THE LAST HUNDRED YEARS OR SO,
WE JUST ABOUT DOUBLED THE LIFE EXPECTANCY FOR PEOPLE
GENERALLY ON THIS PLANET, WHICH IS AMAZING.
THE PROBLEM IS THAT WE LEFT A--A LOT
OF COUNTRIES AND A LOT OF PEOPLE OUT
OF THAT PROGRESS, AND WE LEFT PEOPLE BEHIND.
WOMAN: WOMEN WHO ARE PREGNANT HAVE
VERY LONG DISTANCES TO WALK JUST TO GET
BASIC PRENATAL CARE SERVICES.
WOMAN: THE TYPICAL DISTANCE THAT THEY WOULD TRAVEL
IS BETWEEN 100 AND 500 MILES,
AND THAT'S NOT IN THEIR PERSONAL VEHICLE.
THAT'S IN PUBLIC TRANSIT OR ON THE BACK
OF A MOTORBIKE.
NESBIT: THE MAIN HEALTH CHALLENGES THAT WE'RE SEEING,
UM, ARE THINGS THAT WE'VE SEEN AND WE'VE--
WE'VE KNOWN ABOUT FOR A REALLY LONG TIME.
IT'S ABOUT SAFE PREGNANCIES.
UM, IT'S ABOUT ENSURING THAT KIDS ARE PROTECTED
FROM VACCINE-PREVENTABLE ILLNESSES.
ORTON: SO IT'S BEEN ESTIMATED THAT
IN THE WORLD TODAY THERE ARE A BILLION PEOPLE WHO
ARE ALIVE THAT WILL NEVER SEE A DOCTOR
WITHIN THEIR LIFETIME, BUT IN DIRECT CONTRAST TO THAT,
THOSE INDIVIDUALS LIVE TYPICALLY
WITHIN 20 TO 30 MILES OF A COMMUNITY HEALTH WORKER.
...IN THE COMMUNITY, AT LEAST IN THE RURAL AREAS
WHERE WE LIVE.
KANE: THE IDEA OF USING TECHNOLOGY TO COORDINATE
SERVICES CAME, HONESTLY, FROM THE WAY THAT
COMMUNITIES WERE ALREADY USING TECHNOLOGY
TO COORDINATE SERVICES.
WE NOTICED THAT THAT WAS HAPPENING AND STARTED
TO CREATE TOOLS AND SYSTEMS TO TAKE THE TECHNOLOGY
THAT'S ALREADY IN PEOPLE'S HANDS AND ENABLE
THEM TO DO EVEN MORE WITH IT.
...TO MAKE SURE THAT PEOPLE ACCESS CARE,
ARE THERE TO CARE, AND HAVE IMPROVED QUALITY CARE.
KANE: ONE OF THE TECHNOLOGY TOOLS MEDIC MOBILE HAS DEVELOPED
ENABLES US TO RUN PROGRAMS ON REALLY LOW-END PHONES.
THIS PHONE COSTS ABOUT $15 AND IS REALLY
WIDELY USED IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES.
THE BATTERY LIFE LASTS ABOUT TWO WEEKS.
IT'S REALLY DURABLE, AND IT'S IN THE HANDS
OF A LOT OF PEOPLE, SO PEOPLE ALREADY KNOW
HOW TO USE IT.
AND, VOILA, WE HAVE AN APPLICATION.
ABDALATI: THIS COMBINATION OF SMART SOFTWARE
AND SIMPLE HARDWARE HAS BEEN PUT TO WORK AT THIS RURAL CLINIC
JUST A FEW HOURS FROM THE CAPITAL CITY OF NAIROBI.
ORTON: KILALA CLINIC IS LOCATED IN MAKUENI COUNTY,
AND IT'S, I'D SAY, A VERY COMPREHENSIVE CLINIC.
THE MAJORITY OF THE PATIENTS THAT YOU'RE GONNA FIND
WILL BE WOMEN.
YOU'LL FIND FAMILY MEMBERS THERE WHO ARE
CARING FOR THEIR MOMS OR THE BABIES
THAT ARE JUST BEEN BORN.
IT'S ALSO INTERESTING WHAT YOU WON'T SEE.
UM, YOU WON'T SEE A DOCTOR.
ABDALATI: THE APP HELPS COMMUNITY HEALTH WORKERS
KEEP TRACK OF THEIR PATIENTS, REMINDING THEM
ABOUT PRE-NATAL APPOINTMENTS
AND ENCOURAGING THEM TO VISIT THE CLINIC
FOR A SAFE BIRTH.
YOU JUST NEED TO TALK TO THE CLINICAL OFFICER
TO TELL YOU THAT RIGHT NOW THE NUMBER OF MOTHERS
THAT THEY'RE SEEING FOR ANTENATAL CARE VISITS,
THEY'VE DOUBLED.
ABDALATI: THE SOFTWARE ALLOWS SIMPLE TEXT MESSAGES
TO CONVEY THE INFORMATION CONTENT OF A MUCH MORE
SOPHISTICATED DATABASE.
MEDIC MOBILE TOOLS CAN REDUCE A NURSE'S PAPERWORK
FROM 10 DAYS A MONTH TO JUST ONE.
KANE: THERE'S REALLY ONLY A FEW PIECES
THAT A CLINIC NEEDS IN ORDER TO GET UP AND RUNNING.
THEY NEED A LAPTOP COMPUTER.
UM, THEY NEED A GSM MODEM TO PLUG IN TO RECEIVE
INFORMATION FROM THE PHONES DEPLOYED IN THE FIELD.
YOU'RE LOOKING AT ABOUT $15 FOR EACH ONE
OF THESE PHONES.
THE SIM APPLICATION IS ALSO VERY INEXPENSIVE,
AND OUR SOFTWARE IS OPEN SOURCE.
ABDALATI: SOME OTHER TECHNOLOGY INITIATIVES
THAT STARTED IN SILICON VALLEY HAVE FAILED
THROUGH A LACK OF UNDERSTANDING
OF LOCAL NEEDS AND REALITIES.
MEDIC MOBILE TOOK A DIFFERENT PATH.
NESBIT: OUR BOSSES ARE HEALTH WORKERS
AND VILLAGE ELDERS AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS.
IT'S NOT ANY OTHER WAY AROUND,
AND THEY'RE THE BEST BOSSES IN THE WORLD,
UH, AND WE TAKE ALL OF OUR DIRECTION FROM THEM,
AND THAT'S WHY WE BUILD SOFTWARE
IN THE FIRST PLACE.
IT'S WHY WE BUILD SYSTEMS.
IT'S WHY WE WORK EVERY DAY ACROSS THE WORLD
TO GET THIS MISSION DONE.
I HAVE ALWAYS KNOWN THAT WE ARE THE ONES
WITH THE SOLUTIONS TO OUR PROBLEMS.
THE KIND OF SENSORS THAT ARE BEING DEVELOPED,
EVERYTHING GETTING SMALLER, THE SCALE IS GETTING SMALLER.
SO THE SCALE OF THE RESEARCH IS GETTING MORE
AND MORE PERSONAL, AND THE SIZE OF THE DEVICES
IS GETTING MORE AND MORE PERSONAL.
BARRETT: WE WANT TO SEE ON A BLOCK-TO-BLOCK LEVEL
WHAT AIR QUALITY IS DOING
ON A MINUTE-BY-MINUTE LEVEL.
SMITH: IF ENOUGH OF US GET TOGETHER
AND ENOUGH OF US, YOU KNOW, SAY, "I DON'T WANT TO LIVE
"IN A PLACE THAT IS THIS WAY,
"I'M WILLING TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT,
"I THINK POLICY-MAKERS AND OTHERS SHOULD DO
SOMETHING ABOUT IT, TOO,"
THIS IS WHEN FREEWAYS GET MOVED.
THE FIRST STEP IS THE CITIZEN, THE FIRST STEP IS THE COMMUNITY
IF YOU WANT OWNERSHIP FOR THE AIR.
YOU DON'T HAVE TO PUT UP WITH STUFF.
THERE'S TOOLS, THERE'S RESOURCES THAT YOU DON'T
HAVE TO BE IMPACTED BY--BY POOR AIR QUALITY,
BUT WE DON'T WANT TO COMPLAIN.
WE WANT TO WORK WITH TO CHANGE SOMETHING.
BEVERIDGE: TO HAVE SOMETHING TO BACK UP
YOUR ASSERTION THAT YOU HAVE A PROBLEM,
THIS IS REALLY POWERFUL AS A TOOL OF GOOD CITIZENSHIP.
SMITH: THE CITIZEN SCIENTIST, TO ME, IS
THE BEST THING THAT'S HAPPENED IN A LONG TIME
BECAUSE THE CITIZEN SCIENTIST IS ALSO THE FUTURE CIVIC LEADER.
YOU KNOW, OF ALL THE THINGS YOU CAN BE
DISTRACTED WITH, YOU KNOW, IN THIS DAY AND AGE,
I WOULD LOVE YOU TO BE DISTRACTED
WITH A GADGET THAT HELPS YOU UNDERSTAND
HOW YOUR ENVIRONMENT IS.
ABDALATI: AS WE'VE SEEN, CITIZEN SCIENCE CAN BE
A WIN FOR BOTH CITIZENS AND CITIES,
AND THROUGH THE CLOUD, IT HAS THE POTENTIAL TO DEVELOP DATA
THAT'S HYPERLOCAL AND ALSO ALLOW CONCERN
TO GO GLOBAL.
PALMER: AND NOW THERE'S ALL THESE PEOPLE,
NOT ONLY IN SPAIN BUT IN CONTINENTS
ALL OVER THE WORLD, WHO ARE USING THIS APP,
AND THAT'S AMAZING, AND THEY'RE INTERACTING
WITH SOMETHING AND BASED ON OUR IDEAS.
IT'S LIKE WE'RE--IT'S ALMOST LIKE WE'RE HAVING
A CONVERSATION WITH THEM.
TO HAVE SO MANY EYES FOR DETECTING SO MANY PLACES
WHERE MOSQUITOES CAN DEVELOP.
NESBIT: I THINK FOR A LOT OF PEOPLE
IN MY GENERATION GLOBAL IS THE DEFAULT.
LIKE, IF YOU THINK ABOUT THE PLANET AND YOU ARE
ASKED TO DRAW A CIRCLE AROUND ALL THE PEOPLE
THAT YOU CARE ABOUT OR THAT ARE WORTHY
OF YOUR MORAL CONCERN, YOU'RE GONNA DRAW A CIRCLE
AROUND THE WHOLE PLANET.
IF MORE AND MORE PEOPLE USE THESE NEW TOOLS
AND APPROACHES, WE CAN BETTER TACKLE
EMERGING THREATS TO PUBLIC HEALTH FROM ASTHMA TO ZIKA.
FOR THE "CROWD & THE CLOUD," I'M WALEED ABDALATI.
ANNOUNCER: "THE CROWD & THE CLOUD" IS
MADE POSSIBLE BY NSF,
THE NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION,
WHERE DISCOVERIES BEGIN.