BigO · Project

Data Platform That Shows Cities Where Childhood Obesity Hits Hardest and Why

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Imagine you could give thousands of kids fitness trackers and phones, then see on a map exactly which neighborhoods have unhealthy eating and exercise patterns — and why. That's what BigO built: a system that collects real behavior data from over 25,000 children through wearables and apps, crunches it with big data tools, and shows public health officials a live dashboard of obesity risk across their communities. Instead of guessing which anti-obesity programs might work, authorities can now see what's actually happening on the ground and pick the right intervention for each area.

By the numbers

25,000+

children targeted as data sources across communities

consortium partners

European countries involved (EL, ES, IE, NL, SE)

industry partners in the consortium

SMEs in the consortium

The business problem

What needed solving

Childhood obesity costs European healthcare systems billions annually, yet public health authorities design prevention programs based on broad national averages rather than real local data. Cities and regions lack the tools to see which specific communities have the worst behavioral patterns — and which interventions would actually work where they're needed most.

The solution

What was built

BigO built a big data platform that collects behavioral data from children through wearable sensors and a personal mobile application (prototype delivered with documentation). The system creates community-level obesity risk models and real-time data visualizations for public health authorities, designed to handle input from more than 25,000 children across 5 countries.

Audience

Who needs this

Population health management software companiesMunicipal and regional public health departmentsHealth insurance companies with pediatric coverageWearable device manufacturers targeting youth healthSchool wellness program providers

Business applications

Who can put this to work

Public Health Technology

mid-size

Target: Health IT companies building population health management platforms

If you are a health IT company struggling to give municipalities actionable obesity data — BigO developed a big data platform that collects behavioral patterns from wearables and mobile devices across more than 25,000 children. The system creates real-time visualizations of community-level obesity risk, letting your clients target interventions by neighborhood rather than applying blanket policies.

Health Insurance

enterprise

Target: Insurance companies managing pediatric and family health plans

If you are an insurer looking to reduce long-term costs from childhood obesity-related conditions — BigO built models that predict obesity prevalence based on community behavioral data from wearables and mobile apps. These models let you identify high-risk populations early and design prevention programs that target the actual local drivers of obesity, not generic assumptions.

Wearable & mHealth

SME

Target: Companies developing fitness wearables or health apps for children and families

If you are a wearable or health app company looking for validated use cases in pediatric health — BigO developed a personal mobile application prototype that captures behavioral data from children and feeds it into community-level analytics. The platform was designed to work with data from more than 25,000 participants across 5 European countries, giving you a tested data pipeline and engagement model for the youth health segment.

Frequently asked

Quick answers

What would it cost to license or integrate the BigO platform?

The project data does not include licensing terms or pricing. BigO was a publicly funded Research and Innovation Action coordinated by Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. Commercial licensing would need to be negotiated directly with the consortium. SciTransfer can facilitate that introduction.

Can this scale to a national or multi-country deployment?

The platform was designed to handle data from more than 25,000 children across 5 countries (Greece, Spain, Ireland, Netherlands, Sweden). The architecture uses big data infrastructure built for population-scale behavioral data collection and real-time visualization, suggesting it can scale beyond the pilot scope.

Who owns the intellectual property?

As a Horizon 2020 RIA project, IP typically stays with the consortium partners who generated it. The consortium includes 14 partners — 7 universities, 4 industry partners, and 2 research organizations. Licensing discussions would involve the relevant IP holders within this group.

Is there regulatory approval for using health data from children?

The project collected behavioral data from school-age children and obese adolescents across multiple EU countries, which means it operated under GDPR and national ethics frameworks. Based on available project data, specific regulatory certifications are not detailed in the deliverables provided.

How long would integration take for an existing health platform?

The project delivered a prototype personal mobile application (1st release) with documentation. Integration timelines would depend on your existing infrastructure, but the documented API and data pipeline from a 14-partner consortium suggest the system was built with interoperability in mind. The project ran from December 2016 to March 2021.

What kind of data does the system actually collect?

BigO collects behavioral data through wearable sensors and mobile health devices carried by children. This includes activity patterns, dietary behaviors, and community-level environmental factors. The data feeds into models that map obesity prevalence risk at the community level with real-time monitoring.

Consortium

Who built it

The BigO consortium brings together 14 partners from 5 countries — Greece, Spain, Ireland, the Netherlands, and Sweden — giving it a solid geographic spread across Southern, Western, and Northern Europe. The mix includes 7 universities providing research depth, 4 industry partners (29% industry ratio) contributing technical development capacity, and 2 research organizations. With 2 SMEs in the group, there's some commercial agility, though the project is heavily academia-led by Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. For a business looking to engage, the industry partners are the most likely route to a production-ready version of the technology.

ARISTOTELIO PANEPISTIMIO THESSALONIKISCoordinator · EL
UNIVERSITY COLLEGE DUBLIN, NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF IRELAND, DUBLINparticipant · IE
COSMOTE KINITES TILEPIKOINONIES MONOPROSOPI AEparticipant · EL
IDRYMA IATROVIOLOGIKON EREUNON AKADEMIAS ATHINONparticipant · EL
LIVSMEDELSVERKETparticipant · SE
DIETHNES PANEPISTIMIO ELLADOSparticipant · EL
KAROLINSKA INSTITUTETparticipant · SE
WAGENINGEN UNIVERSITYparticipant · NL
MYSPHERA SLparticipant · ES
ELLINOGERMANIKI AGOGI SCHOLI PANAGEA SAVVA AEparticipant · EL

How to reach the team

Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (Greece) — contact via SciTransfer for warm introduction to the project coordinator

Order a report on this consortium See ARISTOTELIO PANEPISTIMIO THESSALONIKIS profile →

Next steps

Talk to the team behind this work.

Want to explore how BigO's obesity data platform could fit your product or service? SciTransfer can connect you with the right consortium partner and provide a tailored brief. Get in touch.

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