What

RIVM National Institute for Public Health and the Environment   produces on average two to four native applications for mobile phones each year. To ensure the quality of new apps and the corresponding data, RIVM will develop a basic version of “a generic approach and tooling for developing mobile (native) Apps”: the App Factory.

Why

This approach leads to an improved and more uniform quality of new RIVM apps. It improves the professional look and feel of RIVM apps and contributes to users’ trust in RIVM. It will enable re-use of app functionalities in other RIVM domains, saving development and maintenance costs.

How

The intended result is a basic version that can be expanded with additional functionalities. These functionalities will be developed and tested in close collaboration with future operators (RIVM staff and partners) and end-users such as citizens or participants in research studies.

Researchers and policymakers can use the basic version of the App Factory for their research projects or during incidents.

What

RIVM National Institute for Public Health and the Environment    is investigating how people react to incidents in the living environment that are in the limelight and where 'safety and or health' are topics of societal debate. How can RIVM and its partners ensure proper incident management?

Moreover, what interventions, including communication strategies, exist for this purpose? The results of this project will enable governments to respond better in crises. This way, they can better protect people's health and people maintain confidence in the government.

Why

There are many (perceived) hazards in our environment that potentially threaten the health and wellbeing of people. Examples for this are the earthquakes in Groningen, emissions of industrial plants, heatwaves, concerns about rubber granulate on synthetic turf fields, outbreaks of infectious diseases, etc. Cases in which stakeholders hold (potentially) different opinions on the main problem(s) such as, the potential health and safety risks, the sense of urgency to act and the most appropriate interventions, are the most complex.

How

By looking back at various cases in which RIVM was involved, the following questions can be answered: in which 'type' of crises does RIVM become involved? What convictions (so-called 'policy belief systems') do RIVM staff and partners have about 'good crisis and incident management'? An analysis of expressions on social media will contribute to a 'framework' / toolbox that supports those involved to respond optimally to crisis and incidents in the living environment.

What

RIVM National Institute for Public Health and the Environment   is investigating why people living in the vicinity of intensive livestock farming are more likely to develop infections of the lower respiratory tract. Because they are exposed to several substances and micro-organisms at the same time, it is more difficult to determine cause and effect. Therefore, RIVM is developing new methods to determine the health effects when people are exposed to multiple sources at the same time.

Why

Intensive livestock farming is associated with complex environmental challenges, represented by increased air concentrations of particulate matter, of chemicals such as ammonia, and of infectious microbes. Populations living near goat farms have been shown to carry an increased risk of infectious diseases. As inhalation is the major route of exposure in this case, this route will be the focus of the case study in COMPAIR.

How

The research makes use of existing air measurement networks and research cohorts, such as the Pienter cohorts, and of laboratory research (in vitro models). In addition, new methods are needed to analyse large amounts of complex data (in-silico models). We will develop these new methods using bioinformatics and machine learning, in collaboration with the AMALGAM project.

What

RIVM National Institute for Public Health and the Environment   will develop methods for managing large amounts of data (big data).  This research project focuses on the use of machine learning and the analysis of data provided by Next Generation Sequencing (NGS Next Generation Sequencing (Next Generation Sequencing) Next Generation Sequencing ) with the emphasis on data from the microbiome. In this way, AMALGAM supports three other projects of the SPR Strategic Programme RIVM (Strategic Programme RIVM) Strategic Programme RIVM   theme "Exposure and Health": COMPAIR, COMPLEXA, and TRIUMPH. AMALGAM is also part of the SPR theme "Collection and analysis of data".

Why

Due to the digitization of society, large data streams are becoming available, which might potentially contain valuable information that can be used by RIVM in the execution of its tasks. In addition, the amount of information generated within RIVM by new technologies in biology, such as Next Generation Sequencing (NGS), is increasing. RIVM needs more knowledge and experience with analysing such data.

How                              

First, RIVM will explore which statistical and machine learning methods are available. Second, we will select the most suitable method for our goals, and finally we will test this method by applying it to a data set. Where possible, we choose an application that will also be analysed in COMPAIR, COMPLEXA or TRIUMPH. For the microbiome data, which will only become available at a later stage in these projects, data from RIVM’s VEGA study (study on ESBL-producing bacteria among vegetarians and meat eaters) will be used.