The project was initially designed to be used by polar expeditioners, as well as astronauts and recently it was updated to be used by essential workers in a pandemic context.
With this in perspective, as the "A World Away" challenge proposes developing mechanisms to manage risks, including analysis of psycho-social impact, we saw an alignment of the idea and the problem.
The solution we designed includes space stations, arctic stations, hospitals and other difficult access sites that need monitoring of factors that negatively impact mental health, on an operational and organizational level. Thus, reducing costs in unnecessary interventions, or even improving the efficacy of important interventions, with a better analysis of the strategic deflection of resources.
The team was inspired by challenge 11, considering the similarity with a project already under development, however, they were concentrating efforts initially to meet the demands of professionals working in the front line and, because it is based on scenarios analog to the spatial, in Antarctica, which supported the proposal, we think it is appropriate to also highlight the astronauts. The technology aims to promote autonomy and self-management, in remote or difficult-to-reach regions, where it is crucial to ensure that polar expeditionary, astronauts, and or professionals who work in essential services are minimally self-sufficient to perform self care.
Considering the previously performed phase of mapping the context of Antarctic operations/ missions (based on empirical studies of 7 years of team members), spatial (using data from https://humanresearchroadmap.nasa.gov/intro/) and pandemic situation of COVID-19 (ongoing research with current and past data on epidemics with similarities), including the survey of psychological impacts generated or aggravated by exposure to the context and over time, such as innovations and differentials: a) the concentration of tools in a single device; b) offline access in places with internet restrictions; and c) time reduction to the survey information that does not exceed 10 minutes (for the effective retention of attention according neurosciences studies), and the support of the proposed sustained by scientific methods based in evidences.
And also: (1) evaluation and monitoring of the subject and groups throughout the mission. In order to intervene it is necessary to evaluate and it is necessary to understand the context and its demands, the context comprises both the situation itself, in this case the COVID-19 pandemic, and the environment in which the mission or operations are inserted (remote regions, such as Antarctica or space and hard to reach places), the people involved, prevalence rates and predisposition, indicators, frequency, factors that influence or determine risk and protection and impacts, or consequences.
Thus, the initial functionality performs a screening (through questionnaires and symptomatically screening tests that access the psychological constructs identified identified in previous mapping specific to each context, validated, organized in methodological protocols in different moments of an Antarctic and spatial mission or pandemic situation, considering especially the previous, initial, critical, final, and post activity phases) of users for a referral if/ when necessary and for follow-up (spacial-temporal evolution chart that has a risk classification for the impacts defined in low, medium and high) of users mental health conditions.
(2) a warning system fires in potentially critical situations to help managerial decision making for the missions/activities (with low risk [green], medium [orange] and high [red] - traffic light) which allows calling external support for the mobilization and redirection of resources (human [specialists] and material - ex: evaluate need for evacuation and aerial, terrestrial or marine resources; viability of supplying remote care; possibility to allocate professionals, or launch cargo, like medicine) in a strategic way for the identified demands, therefore, more economical for the mental health impairments and their impacts prevention. Those are generated or aggravated by context exposure, including preventing accidents due to cognitive decay or severe mood changes, and other psycho-social indicators. Also, to promote the health and safety of those involved in missions and operations in remote or pandemic regions, which imply proximity restrictions.
An algorithm is under development using GO for the API and React (along with React Native) for multi platform interfaces, creating an app that access native mobile functions like GPS and notifications, and a web platform for data analysis. Psychological technologies were also selected, considering context specification and internationally validated technologies. One of the main issues encountered by the team was deciding what was the best platform for the collection of data, whether it would be a WEB based or a mobile based solution. We came to the conclusion that we could use React to provide a similar solution in multiple platforms, so the user could choose which platform would suit their needs best.
https://youtu.be/Tdt7WQx5I38
Considering the three mentioned groups, astronauts, polar expeditioners and essential workers in a pandemic, the idea is to access the following data of NASA’s database Human Research Roadmap (https://humanresearchroadmap.nasa.gov/risks/risk.aspx?i=99): Cognitive or Behavioral Conditions (BMed), o Team Performance Decrements (Team), o Human-System Interaction Design (HSID), Sleep Loss and Circadian Misalignment (Sleep).
The selected indicators will help define custom factors for the evaluation and monitoring in space scenarios, improving understanding of specific parameters for the circumstances. NASA’s selected data will also be accessed to create statistical analysis for association and regression, for risk assessment and, consequently, prevention of illnesses and accidents that may correlate with emotional, cognitive and behavioral. Regarding data for confinement scenarios (analog to space, Antarctica and pandemic isolation), we will use information gathered for over 7 years of in loco research by members of the team, as well as a summary of national and international research of over 60 years.