Comparison of spatial interpolation methods based on exposure assessments of air pollutants: A case study on nuclear substances in Fukushima

Takahiro Otani, Kunihiko Takahashi, Ayano Takeuchi, Mari Asami

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contribution

1 Citation (Scopus)

Abstract

In response to accidents and disasters involving the proliferation of pollutants to the environment, performing exposure assessments across a region of impact is important for evaluating health effects. Owing to the typical unavailability of the spatially continuous data of pollutant concentrations immediately after accidents, various spatial interpolation methods have been studied to assess exposures using limited available data. In this study, we compared representative spatial interpolation methods based on the estimation of the distributions of exposures through a case study of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster initiated by the Great East Japan earthquake and subsequent tsunamis. The nearest neighbour method, inverse distance weighted method, and ordinary kriging method were compared in the context of exposure assessments. Even though estimated air dose rates were slightly different depending on the method used, different interpolation methods produced significantly equivalent estimates of the distribution of cumulative exposure over one year.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationHEALTHINF 2019 - 12th International Conference on Health Informatics, Proceedings; Part of 12th International Joint Conference on Biomedical Engineering Systems and Technologies, BIOSTEC 2019
EditorsRoman Moucek, Ana Fred, Hugo Gamboa
PublisherSciTePress
Pages415-421
Number of pages7
ISBN (Electronic)9789897583537
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2019
Event12th International Conference on Health Informatics, HEALTHINF 2019 - Part of 12th International Joint Conference on Biomedical Engineering Systems and Technologies, BIOSTEC 2019 - Prague, Czech Republic
Duration: 2019 Feb 222019 Feb 24

Publication series

NameHEALTHINF 2019 - 12th International Conference on Health Informatics, Proceedings; Part of 12th International Joint Conference on Biomedical Engineering Systems and Technologies, BIOSTEC 2019

Conference

Conference12th International Conference on Health Informatics, HEALTHINF 2019 - Part of 12th International Joint Conference on Biomedical Engineering Systems and Technologies, BIOSTEC 2019
Country/TerritoryCzech Republic
CityPrague
Period19/2/2219/2/24

Keywords

  • Air Pollutants
  • Exposure Assessment
  • Nuclear Substance
  • Spatial Interpolation

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Biomedical Engineering
  • Electrical and Electronic Engineering

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