Expanseeker

Help scientists understand the relationship between the exposome and health! The Exposome is the mixture of all things in the environment we are exposed to. From what we eat and the air we breathe to our social interactions and lifestyle choices, such as smoking and exercising. The exposome concept is trying to capture everything to understand how it affects our health. With Expanseeker you actively take part in Challenges and Activities to help researchers measure vast amounts of exposome data. Get to know Professor Aternum, earn decorations, and give your opinion on the (ongoing) research efforts.

Expanseeker is the official app of The Panel study within the EXPANSE project and the Exposome-NL project. It is part of the EU H2020 EXPANSE project and the Gravitation project Exposome-NL. By studying the impact of the natural and built environment (part of the Exposome) on the major contributors to Cardio-Metabolic and Pulmonary Disease (CMPD), both projects will address one of the most pertinent questions for urban planners, policy makers, and European citizens: "How can people maximize their health in a modern urban environment?".

The App is developed and maintained by Games for Health (GfH) in collaboration with EXPANSE partners to broadly promote citizen science, to collect data specific for the Urban Labs study. Over the course of two years, you will repeatedly be invited to participate in Activities with Professor Aternum and to take part in exposure-specific measurement campaigns (“Challenges”). Expanseeker provides a platform for you to express your feedback and research interests, which can potentially be implemented into future Challenges!
The Panel study focuses on the effect of the Exposome on Health and Happiness in Urban living. The complex urban environment consists of a mixture of social and environmental factors, collectively known as the Urban Exposome. These factors often have an impact on our health and provide important insights that can help targets to improve people’spopulation health. And some of these factors can be positively influenced by us! Within EXPANSE it will involve 5000 individuals from 5 diverse urban areas across Europe (Randstad, Athens, Basel, Warsaw and Barcelona), called the Urban Labs, using the same protocol. It includes tracking for spatial-temporal activity patterns with a smartphone app, sensor-based environmental measurements, behavioural measurements, and minimally invasive biological sample collection using blood-spots and micro needle patches.
The entire Panel study will be conducted remotely, i.e. the participants will not have any physical contact with researchers. All data collection will be self-administered (Citizen Science). As a down-stream goal, the Panel study contributes to offering the following opportunities for individual citizens: to predict their exposure as well as their expected level of CMPD risk based on a current or future residential address, based on answers to additional personalized questions on lifestyle/behavior including use and perception of their residential environment, and based on residential relocation plans.