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News  Satellites help ensure safe sunning
Excessive exposure to ultraviolet radiation is responsible for up to Thanks to an innovative service called HappySun, the UV Index can be delivered directly to mobile phones via SMS or can be accessed on the Internet. HappySun calculates the UV Index throughout the day by using ESA satellite data on radiation, ozone and cloud coverage. The service has just completed its two-year-long test phase and has received positive feedback from users.
"HappySun is a tool for the primary prevention of skin cancer," Franco Marsili, Director of the Dermatology Clinic at the Versilia Hospital in Italy, said. "The aim is to educate people about the intelligent ‘use’ of the sun."
The World Health Organisation (WHO) report, ‘Global Burden of Disease of Solar Ultraviolet Radiation’, says of the 60 000 deaths annually an estimated 48 000 are caused by malignant melanomas and 12 000 by skin carcinomas.
The report also recognises that ultraviolet radiation has beneficial effects such as the production of vitamin D, which prevents diseases such as osteoporosis and rickets. The WHO says vitamin D levels are in most cases maintained with minimal UVR exposure and warns over-exposure to the sun’s radiation is much more dangerous than insufficient vitamin-D levels.
The UV protection service is currently available in Tuscany, Italy, for APT Versilia and Sardinia, Italy, for Baja Hotels. The APT Versilia website shows the temperature of the Versilia sea, while the Baja Hotels’ website shows sea temperature implemented in a Google Maps interface.
"Tourists appreciate having a ‘satellite eye’ that takes care of their skin during sun exposure. Tourists, snorkellers and divers all appreciate having information on sea water in order to find the best conditions," Baja Hotels General Manager Marco Bongiovanni said.
These types of services are set to continue in the near future, as HappySun is following up the tourism aspects of the service with tour and hotel operators in preparation for next summer. In addition, the Global Monitoring of the Environment and Security (GMES) initiative – a joint initiative of the European Commission and ESA – is incorporating the public health aspects within its portfolio of services.
The HappySun service, provided by Flyby s.r.l., is backed by an ESA Earth Observation Market Development (EOMD) programme aimed at fostering the development of Earth Observation data within business practices.
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