Exposome-Maps

Exposome Maps — Geospatial Environmental Exposure Platform

Exposome Maps is an open geospatial data platform developed by Utrecht University’s Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences (IRAS) through the Exposome-NL and EXPANSE programmes (Horizon 2020). It provides over 200 harmonised, geospatially resolved environmental exposure surfaces — collectively covering the full external exposome — that researchers can link directly to health data in epidemiological studies.

The platform organises exposures across four dimensions. The Physico-Chemical Environment (99 surfaces) includes air pollution (PM2.5, PM10, NO₂, ozone, black carbon), noise, pesticides, weather, night-time light, biodiversity, and electromagnetic fields. The Social Environment (70 surfaces) covers neighbourhood socioeconomic position, social capital, safety, mental health indicators, labour market conditions, and proximity to services. The Built Environment (28 surfaces) captures green, blue, and grey space — parks, waterways, and urban land use. The Food Environment (4 surfaces) characterises food access and a healthy food index.

Surfaces can be explored interactively through the Exposome Data Platform in map or catalogue view, with European and Netherlands coverage, selectable time periods, and full metadata for each surface. Surfaces not directly available through the platform can be requested via a structured data access procedure

Core Capabilities

• 200+ harmonised geospatial exposure surfaces (Exposome Surfaces) ready for epidemiological linkage
• Coverage across four exposome dimensions: Physico-Chemical (99 surfaces), Social (70), Built Environment (28), and Food Environment (4)
• Interactive map and catalogue view via the Exposome Data Platform, with European and Netherlands-level visualisation
• Data available at varying temporal and spatial resolutions with full provenance and source attribution

Unique Assets

• Single harmonised inventory spanning air pollution, noise, pesticides, electromagnetic fields, biodiversity, night-time light, neighbourhood socioeconomic position, social capital, and more
• Developed and validated within large-scale European cohort studies (EXPANSE, Exposome-NL)
• Open data policy with structured access request procedure for surfaces not directly available on the platform
• Interoperable with cohort and biobank data for multi-exposure mixture analyses

Typical Users

• Epidemiologists linking external environmental exposures to health outcomes in population cohorts
• Urban planners and policymakers assessing the health impact of the built and social environment
• Data managers building or harmonising exposure datasets across European study sites
• Researchers designing new cohort studies who need baseline exposure characterisation

Access

• Freely accessible via exposome.uu.nl for visualisation
• Data access for research use via structured request form; governed by Data Access and Publication Policy