Spatial Intelligence for Integrated Care for Older Adults in Rural Communities
Mainz University of Applied Sciences will be represented at this year’s Hannover Messe, taking place April 17–21, with the RAFVINIERT research project from the Institute for Spatial Information and Measurement Technology “i3mainz.” Hannover Messe is one of the world’s leading industrial trade fairs. This year, the focus is on digitalization and sustainability. Researchers from universities in Rhineland-Palatinate will present current research and development projects as well as the latest research findings in Hall 2 at the “Research and Innovation” booth (C46). The Rhineland-Palatinate joint research booth is sponsored by the Ministry of Science and Health (MWG).
The RAFVINIERT Research Project at Mainz University of Applied Sciences
In rural areas, it’s often a long way to the supermarket, the pharmacy, or a trusted doctor. For older adults who want to lead independent lives in their own homes, the distance is sometimes too great. Access issues are no longer limited to the town centers of structurally weak villages. Even in the widespread single-family home neighborhoods built in the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s, supply bottlenecks are likely to arise in the foreseeable future. A characteristic feature of these predominantly owner-occupied neighborhoods is the lack of demographic diversity. It is common to find buildings here occupied by only one or two seniors, while their children have left home to settle elsewhere.
Improving Senior-Related Service Analysis and Planning in Rural Single-Family Home Areas Through Geoinformatics and Geo-Governance
Against this backdrop, researchers at i3mainz are working closely with counties and rural municipalities to develop innovative tools and solutions to support these areas and their residents. Using methods from geoinformatics and geo-governance, implementation strategies are being designed for small-scale monitoring within municipal geodata infrastructures, which improve the analysis and planning of services for seniors in rural single-family home areas. In addition, calculations are being developed to assess the accessibility of service facilities for seniors. This is achieved, among other things, by integrating geodata on topics such as individual mobility, accessibility, and traffic safety—data that has previously been considered only marginally.
Communication Workshops and On-Site Real-World Lab
Good tools are only useful if they are applied. The project team addresses this challenge through ongoing communication workshops and an on-site real-world lab. In a transdisciplinary setting, potential applications are continuously discussed with local decision-makers, and development needs are identified. By using scenario planning—an informal, participatory planning method—service provision planning in single-family residential areas is tested and optimized in close collaboration with the practice partners.
The research project is funded by the Carl Zeiss Foundation.
