This is one of those posts that could never go on modern-Reddit without a bunch of dudes who peaked in high school saying it’s “bullshit”
This is a very cool fusion of decades of research and technology. There are definitely concerns to be had over its use in the private sector and the general loss of privacy over time as technology develops - but if nothing else it’s really fascinating from an academic and public health approach.
The pictures sure make it look like bullshit.
Here’s a depressed, post-industrial area where heart disease is more common.
Here’s a suburb full of McMansions where heart disease is less common.
Gutter downspouts, masonry, bars on windows, and cracked pavement are positively correlated with heart disease and tree-lined sidewalks, big lawns and wraparound porches are negatively correlated with heart disease… go figure.
Welcome to the scientific process man: you’ve managed to deduce an obvious correlation. People also understood that living in fetid conditions led to disease for centuries before figuring out how they’re actually related (with several deeply incorrect theories along the way).
This is a way to measure that correlation and use that data for future analysis. The researchers doing this work are investigating things at a much more finite level than “duh-doy being poor is bad!!”
