Embedded Files
GeoHealth Lab
Research Topics
Environmental Health/Exposure
Health Disparities/Environmental Justice
Indoor-Outdoor Spatial Dynamics
Urban and Built Environments
Exposure to Air Pollution
Health Geography and Indoor Geography
Human Mobility
Research Methods
Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
Geospatial Data Analytics
Mobile Sensing
GPS and Indoor Positioning Systems (IPS)
Community-Engaged Research Methods
Participatory Air Monitoring
Spatial Statistics
Selected Ongoing and Completed Projects
GPS–WiFi Data Fusion for Microenvironment Classification in Personal Exposure Assessments
This ongoing project develops a GPS-WiFi data fusion framework for automated microenvironment classification in personal air pollution exposure assessment. Using GPS data and locally observed WiFi signals, the approach classifies home, work, other indoor, outdoor, and transit environments without relying on self-reported time-activity diaries or external geolocation services. The method substantially improves classification accuracy over a GPS-only baseline while generating exposure-context information from wearable environmental sensing data.
Geospatial Assessment of Subway PM2.5 Exposure Using Portable Sensors and Route-Based Modeling
This ongoing project develops a GIS-based exposure assessment framework to quantify subway PM2.5 exposure among Boston subway commuters. By integrating portable air-sensor measurements and Google Maps Directions API-based commuting route estimation, the project generates fine-scale estimates of subway commuter exposure and identifies environmental health inequities among transit-dependent populations. The first aim is to collect and map PM2.5 concentrations across subway stations and line segments during rush hours using portable air sensors and GIS mapping. The second aim is to develop GIS methods to estimate commuter PM2.5 exposure and identify communities at high exposure risk by combining Google Maps Directions API-derived travel routes, time spent across route segments, census block-level commuting data, and spatial statistical models.
Funding source
This project was supported by the Institute for Collaboration on Health, Intervention, and Policy (InCHIP), University of Connecticut. PI Yoo Min Park
Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE)-Based Room-Level Indoor Exposure Assessment
This ongoing project, led by PhD student Ailing Jin, develops a BLE-based indoor sensing framework for mobility-based air pollution exposure assessment. By integrating room-level air quality monitoring with low-burden indoor localization techniques, the project estimates personal indoor exposure at fine spatial and temporal scales and advances building-scale exposure assessment methods.
Modeling Spatiotemporal Variations of Indoor Air Pollution Using High-Resolution Indoor Sensor Network Measurements
This ongoing project examines spatial and temporal variation in indoor PM2.5 within residential environments. Led by PhD student Ailing Jin, the study deploys networks of low-cost air sensors across multiple rooms to model fine-scale spatiotemporal transmission of PM2.5 generated from cooking activities.
Community-Engaged, Participatory Exposure Monitoring Using GPS-Enabled Portable Air Pollution Sensors to Address Environmental Health Disparity
We engaged Latino/Hispanic people in eastern North Carolina in personal air monitoring to 1) increase their awareness of indoor/outdoor air quality by enabling them to collect data in their immediate surroundings and actively participate in data interpretation, and 2) foster behavioral changes to reduce their exposure and health risks. We also identified the locations and times at which Latino/Hispanic people experience high exposure and the activities that lead to pollution peaks by combining their geo-referenced air pollution data and travel-activity diaries using GIS. This project was conducted in partnership with the Association of Mexicans in North Carolina, a nonprofit community organization.
Funding source
This project was supported by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) under Award Number P30ES025128.
Interdisciplinary Team: PI Yoo Min Park with Co-I Sinan Sousan (Department of Public Health, Brody School of Medicine, ECU)
Publications
Park, Y.M., Chavez, D., Sousan, S., Figueroa-Bernal, N., Alvarez, J.R., Rocha-Peralta, J. (2022). Personal Exposure Monitoring Using GPS-Enabled Portable Air Pollution Sensors: A Strategy to Promote Citizen Awareness and Behavioral Changes Regarding Indoor and Outdoor Air Pollution. Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41370-022-00515-9. Full-Text Access to a View-Only Version
Streuber, D., Park, Y.M., Sousan, S. (2022). Laboratory and Field Evaluations of the GeoAir2 Air Quality Monitor for use in Indoor Environments. Aerosol and Air Quality Research, 22(8), 220119.
Park, Y.M., Sousan, S., Streuber, D., & Zhao, K. (2021). GeoAir – A Novel Portable, GPS-Enabled, Low-Cost Air-Pollution Sensor: Design Strategies to Facilitate Citizen Science Research and Geospatial Assessments of Personal Exposure. Sensors, 21(11), 3761.
Spatiotemporal Approaches to Understanding the Effect of Racial/Ethnic Segregation on Disparities in Exposure to Air Pollution
This NSF- and AAG-funded project developed a fine-scale spatiotemporal approach to measure “multi-contextual segregation" (i.e., segregation across everyday activity spaces; Park & Kwan, 2017; 2018) and assess its relationship with racial disparities in air pollution exposure. Using individual-level daily travel data in the Atlanta metropolitan area, the method revealed that the segregation–exposure relationship varied by time of day and race. Daytime work-related integration in high-traffic downtown areas exposed all racial groups to similarly high pollution levels, while nighttime residential segregation benefited non-Hispanic White residents through lower exposure but did not provide the same protection for other racial groups. The findings highlight how uneven mobility patterns, transit inequities, and residential segregation jointly shape environmental health disparities and highlight the need for both equitable transit planning and racially mixed residential policies.
Funding source
This doctoral dissertation project was supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF) Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement Grant (Award Number: 1735295) and an American Association of Geographers (AAG) Dissertation Research Grant.
Dr. Park was not an official PI due to graduate student status, but she was the lead writer of the grant proposal and took direct responsibility for the completion of this dissertation research project (Co-PI Yoo Min Park with PI Mei-Po Kwan)
Publications
Park, Y.M. (2020). Assessing Personal Exposure to Traffic-Related Air Pollution Using Individual Travel-Activity Diary Data and an On-Road Source Air Dispersion Model. Health & Place, 63: 102351.
Park, Y.M. & Kwan, M.-P. (2020). Understanding Racial Disparities in Exposure to Traffic-Related Air Pollution: Considering Spatiotemporal Dynamics of Population Distribution. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(3), 908.
Park, Y.M. & Kwan, M.-P. (2018). Beyond Residential Segregation: A Spatiotemporal Approach to Examining Multi-Contextual Segregation. Computers, Environment and Urban Systems, 71, 98-108.
Park, Y.M. & Kwan, M.-P. (2017). Individual Exposure Estimates May Be Erroneous When Spatiotemporal Variability of Air Pollution and Human Mobility Are Ignored. Health & Place, 43, 85-94.
Park, Y.M. & Kwan, M.-P. (2017). Multi-Contextual Segregation and Environmental Justice Research: Toward Fine-Scale Spatiotemporal Approaches. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 14(10), 1205.
Indoor Mapping for Accessibility with Dignity: An Inclusive, Equitable University Environment for People with Disabilities
This project proposes to integrate research, teaching, and service to create an inclusive, accessible East Carolina University (ECU) campus. By bridging geography, disability studies, and health and human performance studies, this project aims to produce an interactive, web-based campus indoor map to support the accessibility of individuals with disabilities. It also uses a participatory approach to mapping the locations of ADA-compliant entrances and bathrooms as a strategy to engage students in creating an inclusive university environment. By participating in collaborative data collection and mapping, students will identify potential challenges for individuals with disabilities, critically assess the quality of accessibility, and learn about the value of campus inclusion. This learning activity and multidisciplinary research opportunities will contribute to maximizing student success and prepare students with the knowledge, skills, and values to appreciate diversity and inclusion and become active and socially responsible citizens in creating an inclusive and equitable society.
Funding source
Diversity and Inclusion Research and Scholarship Program Seed Grant, Office for Equity and Diversity, East Carolina University. PI Yoo Min Park with Co-I Joonkoo Yun (Department of Kinesiology, ECU)
Community Air Quality Monitoring Using Low-Cost Air Sensors and Citizen Science Approaches in Environmental Justice Communities
The goal of this community-engaged project is to establish a community air monitoring network in eastern NC using a citizen-science approach and low-cost stationary air monitors (PurpleAir). It also seeks to identify pollution hot spots using GIS and share results with the communities to identify community-wide solutions. In partnership with a non- profit Clean AIRE NC and Pitt County public schools in North Carolina, air monitors have been installed at 14 schools to assist science teachers with the development of their science curriculum utilizing the air monitors.
Funding source
This project was supported by the Office of Community Engagement and Research at East Carolina University. PI Yoo Min Park
Publications
Clean AIRE NC Blog Post: https://cleanairenc.org/blog/2021/09/21/whats-in-the-air-pitt-county-students-are-on-the-case/
Identifying Spatio-Temporal Trends in COVID-19 and Socially Vulnerable Communities to Support Decision-Making for the Equitable Vaccine Distribution
This project developed geospatial analysis, mapping, and data visualization tools for COVID-19 response and population health planning in eastern North Carolina, in collaboration with Vidant Health (currently, ECU Health). The project supported data-driven decision-making by helping monitor community health, identify vulnerable populations and service needs, and guide equitable vaccine distribution.
Funding source
This project was supported by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act Research Fund via the 2020 COVID-19 Recovery Act, North Carolina House Bill 1043 (Session Law 2020-4).
Interdisciplinary Team: Co-PI Yoo Min Park with multiple PIs Gregory Kearney (Department of Public Health, Brody School of Medicine, ECU) and Maria Clay (Department of Bioethics and Interdisciplinary Studies, ECU)
Publications
Park, Y.M., Kearney, G.D., Wall, B., Jones, K., Howard, R., & Hylock, R. (2021). COVID-19 Deaths in the United States: Shifts in Hot Spots over the Three Phases of the Pandemic and the Spatiotemporally Varying Impact of Pandemic Vulnerability. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(17), 8987.
Kearney, G., Jones, K., Park, Y.M., Howard, R., Hylock, R., Wall, B., Clay, M., & Schmidt, P. (2021). COVID-19: A Vaccine Priority Index Mapping Tool for Rapidly Assessing Priority Populations in North Carolina. Online Journal of Public Health Informatics, 13(3).
Kearney, G.D., Hylock, R., Park, Y.M., Jones, K., Wall, B., Howard, R., Iyer, P., Clay, M., Endres-Dighe, S., Stoner, M.C.D., Li, L., Cajka, J., and Rhea, S. (2022). Regional Trends of COVID-19-Like Illness Related Emergency Department Visits in North Carolina (March 1, 2020 ¬– November 30, 2020). North Carolina Medical Journal. 84(1), 54-60.
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