Taking a walk avoiding polluted routes: an application to a virtual coach for cancer

Outdoor physical activity is known to be beneficial for both healthy and unhealthy people. Nowadays however, particularly in urban areas, air pollution may decrease this benefit. This paper describes the design and development of an application for optimizing outdoor physical activity with respect to exposure to pollution. We exploited an air quality sensors network, already existing in our city, and developed an algorithm to estimate pollution level in every possible route belonging to the city topology. The final users will be provided with a smartphone application, able to suggest them the best route for walking or biking. Although minimizing pollution exposure is the main goal, the app will also consider weather forecasting and some users’ preferences. This work was motivated by the need of implementing a set of well-being interventions within a Horizon2020 project dedicated to cancer patients.