AIS LIFE 

Action A2: Set up of an enhanced Personalised Pollen Information system (PPI) in France and Italy, in combination with an in depth QOL survey

 

Description and methods employed:

 

In spring 2013 the personalised Pollen Information System (PPI) was launched in Austria. This system is based on a combination of daily pollen counts from the European Aeroallergen Network database (EAN Database - https://ean.polleninfo.eu/Ean/) and symptom data from users of the Patient´s Hayfever Diary (PHD) (Berger et al., 2011; https://www.pollendiary.com). Both datasets are used to classify the user of PPI and issue an individual forecast for the respective user.

 

The classic forecast based on pollen counts is modified by the symptom severity of the user, ranging from (1) zero due to no symptoms, (2) lowered forecast due to lower than average, (3) normal forecast due to average symptoms to (4) heightened forecast due to higher than average symptoms. Moreover, this system enables users for the first time to receive personalised pollen information (PPI) based on their symptoms over the last 5 days via their smart phone. Personal and regional thresholds are taken into account and seem to be crucial for a future pollen information system. In addition, users can graphically compare their symptom loads with up to date pollen counts of the respective region. Within this smart phone application the user is able to

examine the classic forecasts based on pollen counts as well as his personal forecast in every available region or country.

 

The services currently made available include the history of all their personal symptoms and graphs that combine their symptoms with relevant pollen count data. The PPI will be available also in Germany by the end of 2013. In the framework of the project this new service will be introduced in other European countries and tested and evaluated for the first time in a long-term period over several pollen seasons.

 

In order to provide a Personalised Pollen Information service, namely a personalised symptom forecast the following requirements need to be developed:.

• symptom module, a symptom diary (the PHD)

• forecast module (pollen load)

• classification module (calculation, assignment and adaption of the forecast)