World Health Day 2022: Leveraging the cloud to build a healthier tomorrow

Today marks World Health Day, and this year’s theme is “Our planet, our health.” The World Health Organization (WHO) is using this day to drive global attention to the urgent actions needed to protect our planet and prioritize well-being in societies, and supporting these efforts is core to our principles and values at Amazon Web Services (AWS).

WHO is focused on ways that we can work together to reimagine a world where clean air, water, and food are available to all; economies and communities are focused on health and well-being; and cities are liveable and people have control over their health. We’re proud to support our customers and partners who are solving some of society’s biggest problems with the cloud to make these ideas and changes a reality. Here are just a few examples of how our customers are leveraging AWS technology to innovate for our planet and our health.

Reimagining possibilities for a better world

To support a cleaner world, charity: water provides clean water to rural communities in developing countries through hand pumps. 771 million people lack basic access to clean and safe drinking water, and charity:water is on a mission to change this. By developing an internet of things (IoT) device that runs on AWS IoT and AWS IoT Analytics, charity: water is able to scale and efficiently monitor the health of thousands of water pumps in remote locations to avoid disruptions and make sure water continues flowing for millions of people.

To nurture communities’ well-being, many education organizations have stepped up to find new ways to support students’ mental health. COVID-19 has taken a toll on many, and 94% of educators agreed that students need increased social and emotional support at the height of the pandemic. Education technology company Indigo Education Company’s program is focused on success, retention, and social-emotional health for students in middle school through college. Indigo uses Amazon CloudFront to deliver online courses and tutorial content globally, while using Amazon Polly, Amazon Transcribe, and Amazon Translate to localize content for students. By using Indigo, school administrators have helped over 123,000 students across 28 states increase their self-confidence and self-awareness.

To develop more liveable cities, The Nature Conservancy (TNC) is helping address tree shade access in neighborhoods, regardless of income, race, or ethnicity, through research and analysis. On average, low-income neighborhoods have about 15 percent less tree cover, and evidence supports the premise that tree cover in cities provides significant health benefits for people including lower levels of air pollution, better heart function, and improved mental health. TNC is leveraging the cloud to understand the spatial feasibility of a city to support trees, and then sharing that actionable data with legislatures, policymakers, and stakeholders. AWS Cloud services have been key in enabling TNC to store data, conduct research, and create visualizations to make progress on its mission.

Building a sustainable and healthy future

Beyond helping our customers deliver on their missions, the cloud itself helps reduce the impact organizations have on the environment. A recent study by international analyst firm 451 Research found that AWS’s infrastructure is 3.6 times more energy efficient than the average of surveyed enterprise data centers. When they factored in the carbon intensity of consumed electricity and renewable energy purchases, 451 found that AWS performs the same task with an 88 percent lower carbon footprint.

We recently launched the AWS Customer Carbon Footprint Tool. This dashboard makes it easier for our customers to calculate and visualize their company’s carbon emissions. It provides estimates of the carbon emissions they have avoided by using AWS instead of an on-premises data center and even forecasts how those numbers will change over time based on their current use.

As an organization, AWS remains committed to doing our part to build a sustainable and healthy future. In 2019, Amazon co-founded The Climate Pledge, which is a commitment to be net zero carbon across our business by 2040 – 10 years ahead of the Paris Agreement. More than 300 businesses across 51 industries and 29 countries have signed to date. This growing collaboration to incorporate real business changes is encouraging as we collectively work to confront climate change head-on.

Advancing health outcomes with the cloud

In addition to protecting our planet and fostering individuals’ well-being, our customers are continuously innovating to advance medical research and healthcare solutions to make sure individuals get the care they need, when they need it. The rapid development of the COVID-19 vaccine is a powerful example of this. Moderna was able to complete the sequence for its mRNA COVID-19 vaccine in just two days using machine learning built on AWS, and the first clinical batch was released just 25 days later.

While the pandemic highlighted how technology continues to meet healthcare on the frontlines to care for more people, it also amplified longstanding social and structural disparities for underserved populations. That’s why we launched a new global program last year committing 40 million dollars over three years in AWS cloud credits and technical expertise to help organizations develop solutions to advance health equity globally.

We’ve already seen some incredible developments being led by participants. One example includes Vodafone Foundation and Touch Foundation receiving support from AWS to scale the “m-mama” emergency rural transport program, which connects pregnant women and newborns to life-saving care across Africa. Another includes Arizona State University using AWS to bridge data silos and gain an integrated, holistic view of homelessness in Arizona, which will then inform the work of policymakers, practitioners, and researchers in the state.

I’m continuously inspired by how our customers are leveraging the cloud to increase the speed and scale of their efforts to make a positive impact. We continue to make progress, but we still have more to do. Let’s all keep working together for a healthier tomorrow.

AWS Public Sector Blog

World Health Day 2022: Leveraging the cloud to build a healthier tomorrow

Reimagining possibilities for a better world

Building a sustainable and healthy future

Advancing health outcomes with the cloud

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