New methods are needed to efficiently characterize built environment attributes and residential behaviors to improve exposure assessment in epidemiologic research, given limitations of available databases and approaches. Window-opening and presence of air conditioning (AC) units predict indoor air quality and thermal comfort, but data are not widely available. In this study, we tested the utility of a GIS-based tool for rapidly assessing open windows and window/wall AC units in the city of Chelsea, Massachusetts using georeferenced street-level photographs and crowdsourced online surveys. We characterized open windows and window/wall AC units for 969 parcels in the winter and 1213 parcels in the summer, requiring ~40 person hours per season. In the winter, 21% of parcels surveyed had a window or wall AC unit and 19% had an open window. In the summer, 69% had a window or wall AC unit and 53% had an open window. We demonstrated an efficient method for rapidly characterizing open windows and window/wall AC units across an entire city. This tool can help to characterize exposures for epidemiological research, engage community members, and inform local land use planning and decision-making.

中文翻译：

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使用地理参考街道摄影来表征社区范围内的住房属性。

鉴于可用数据库和方法的局限性，需要新的方法来有效地表征建筑环境属性和居住行为，以改进流行病学研究中的暴露评估。开窗和空调 (AC) 装置的存在可预测室内空气质量和热舒适度，但数据并不广泛可用。在这项研究中，我们测试了基于 GIS 的工具的实用性，该工具使用地理参考街道照片和众包在线调查快速评估马萨诸塞州切尔西市的打开窗户和窗户/墙壁空调机组。我们对冬季 969 个地块和夏季 1213 个地块的开窗和窗/壁式空调装置进行了表征，每个季节需要约 40 个工时。在冬季，接受调查的地块中有 21% 有窗户或壁挂空调，19% 有开窗。在夏天，69% 的人有窗户或壁挂空调，53% 的人有开窗。我们展示了一种快速表征整个城市中打开的窗户和窗户/墙壁空调机组的有效方法。该工具有助于确定流行病学研究的暴露特征，吸引社区成员参与，并为当地土地使用规划和决策提供信息。