Periodic Reporting for period 4 - PHArA-ON (Pilots for Healthy and Active Ageing)
Okres sprawozdawczy: 2024-01-01 do 2024-11-30
As Europe’s population continues to age, there is an increasing demand for innovative solutions that enhance the quality of life, independence, and overall well-being of older adults. While advanced ICT solutions hold great potential in addressing these challenges, the market remains fragmented, with many existing solutions offering limited scope and interoperability. Pharaon was a five-year project aiming to design, implement, and evaluate large-scale pilots aimed at fostering active and healthy aging. Operating across five countries, Pharaon actively engaged key stakeholders while developing and deploying cutting-edge technologies to improve the daily lives of older adults.
Pharaon focused on making smart and active aging a reality by developing a set of integrated, customizable, and interoperable open platforms. These platforms incorporated a wide range of advanced digital technologies, including IoT, artificial intelligence, robotics, cloud and edge computing, smart wearables, big data analytics, and intelligent decision-making algorithms. The goal was to provide personalized and optimized healthcare services while enhancing the overall quality of life (QoL). Additionally, the project ensured high interoperability, both within Pharaon and with standardized platforms across various domains such as energy, transport, and smart cities.
Pharaon leveraged state-of-the-art open platforms and technologies, customizing them to meet the specific needs of older adults and healthcare providers. Interoperability and openness* were key design principles, ensuring seamless integration with existing systems. AI-driven analytics and traditional algorithms enabled intelligent data processing, facilitating pattern recognition and user friendliness of interfaces to optimize care and support.
A user-centric approach was at the heart of Pharaon’s methodology, ensuring maximum usability, accessibility, and stakeholder acceptance. Continuous user feedback played a crucial role in shaping the evolution of the system, while a dedicated evaluation framework assessed its real-world impact. To address privacy, ethical, and legal concerns, consortium experts provided guidelines on data protection, cybersecurity, and compliance with relevant regulations.
Pharaon’s integrated platforms were deployed and validated in different stages from pre-validation for early-stage debugging and optimization to large-scale pilots (LSPs) to assess real-world applicability. Pre-validation and large-scale pilots were conducted in six sites across Europe: Murcia and Andalusia (Spain), Portugal, the Netherlands, Slovenia, and Italy. Through these pilots and broader ecosystem expansion activities, Pharaon successfully demonstrated how digital technologies can help older adults maintain independence at home longer, reducing reliance on institutional care while ensuring support when intensive care is needed.
Pharaon focused on making smart and active aging a reality by developing a set of integrated, customizable, and interoperable open platforms. These platforms incorporated a wide range of advanced digital technologies, including IoT, artificial intelligence, robotics, cloud and edge computing, smart wearables, big data analytics, and intelligent decision-making algorithms. The goal was to provide personalized and optimized healthcare services while enhancing the overall quality of life (QoL). Additionally, the project ensured high interoperability, both within Pharaon and with standardized platforms across various domains such as energy, transport, and smart cities.
Pharaon leveraged state-of-the-art open platforms and technologies, customizing them to meet the specific needs of older adults and healthcare providers. Interoperability and openness* were key design principles, ensuring seamless integration with existing systems. AI-driven analytics and traditional algorithms enabled intelligent data processing, facilitating pattern recognition and user friendliness of interfaces to optimize care and support.
A user-centric approach was at the heart of Pharaon’s methodology, ensuring maximum usability, accessibility, and stakeholder acceptance. Continuous user feedback played a crucial role in shaping the evolution of the system, while a dedicated evaluation framework assessed its real-world impact. To address privacy, ethical, and legal concerns, consortium experts provided guidelines on data protection, cybersecurity, and compliance with relevant regulations.
Pharaon’s integrated platforms were deployed and validated in different stages from pre-validation for early-stage debugging and optimization to large-scale pilots (LSPs) to assess real-world applicability. Pre-validation and large-scale pilots were conducted in six sites across Europe: Murcia and Andalusia (Spain), Portugal, the Netherlands, Slovenia, and Italy. Through these pilots and broader ecosystem expansion activities, Pharaon successfully demonstrated how digital technologies can help older adults maintain independence at home longer, reducing reliance on institutional care while ensuring support when intensive care is needed.
The Pharaon project was structured into 10 interrelated Work Packages (WPs), focusing on conceptualization, development, deployment, and impact assessment. Despite delays due to COVID-19, user requirements were gathered through co-design, interviews, and remote workshops, shaping a multi-layered architecture emphasizing security and interoperability.
Pilot activities consolidated 25 use case scenarios across six sites in five countries, addressing Pharaon’s core challenges. Ethical and legal frameworks were established, exceeding standard regulatory requirements. The project prioritized interoperability, culminating in the Interoperability Plan (IOP) and the Ecosystem Hub, a suite of tools based on OIDC, OpenAPI, and FIWARE. The Pharaon Data Model facilitated seamless data exchange, ensuring compatibility across healthcare, energy, and mobility domains.
Large-Scale Pilot Deployment
Pharaon deployed large-scale pilots involving 1,800+ older adults, 600+ formal caregivers, and 400+ informal caregivers using Action Research to continuously refine solutions. A GDPR-compliant data management framework was implemented, integrating the SMILE dashboard for data collection and quality evaluation.
Technical advancements included:
• The Technical One-Stop-Shop (WP4) for developer resources.
• Enhanced cybersecurity measures across all solutions.
• Interoperability enhancements, including the Phi-Suite for secure data exchange.
• A Central Portal for unified access, integrating a Carer Dashboard and Hub Portal for data visualization.
• Pharaon-in-a-Box, providing sandbox environments for seamless technology integration.
Ecosystem Expansion and Open Calls
Two Open Calls expanded Pharaon’s impact:
• 11 new technologies integrated through Open Call 1.
• 12 additional projects joined via Open Call 2, broadening the platform’s scope.
Exploitation, Sustainability, and Impact
Pharaon identified 125 key exploitable results, categorized using the TAALXONOMY framework and integrated into CATAALOG, promoting assistive technologies. Business models were developed to ensure long-term sustainability.
Impact was assessed using Quality of Life (QoL), Service Usability, and Cost-Effectiveness KPIs, showing measurable improvements. 630 training sessions engaged 1,143+ participants, closing digital skills gaps. Policy recommendations were developed based on pilot findings, and ethical guidelines were released.
Dissemination and Standardization
Pharaon’s results were widely shared through:
• 48 online articles, 3 print articles, 4 radio & 1 TV feature
• 61 conferences, trade fairs, and webinars
• 11 organized events, including the Pharaon Final Event (Florence, June 2024, 200+ participants)
• CEN Workshop Agreement (CWA 18123) on Action Research for Large-Scale Piloting
Finalization and Market Readiness
In its final phase, Pharaon:
• Prioritized interoperability and impact assessment.
• Developed a common data model for seamless ecosystem integration.
• Strengthened technical and user interoperability to enhance usability.
• Completed risk assessments, value propositions, and market strategies for 9 key exploitable results, ensuring readiness for TRL9 adoption.
• Defined impact assurance strategies to support replication, scalability, and investment attraction.
Through its extensive pilots, technology integrations, and policy contributions, Pharaon demonstrated the potential of digital solutions to support independent living and enhance the well-being of Europe’s aging population.
Pilot activities consolidated 25 use case scenarios across six sites in five countries, addressing Pharaon’s core challenges. Ethical and legal frameworks were established, exceeding standard regulatory requirements. The project prioritized interoperability, culminating in the Interoperability Plan (IOP) and the Ecosystem Hub, a suite of tools based on OIDC, OpenAPI, and FIWARE. The Pharaon Data Model facilitated seamless data exchange, ensuring compatibility across healthcare, energy, and mobility domains.
Large-Scale Pilot Deployment
Pharaon deployed large-scale pilots involving 1,800+ older adults, 600+ formal caregivers, and 400+ informal caregivers using Action Research to continuously refine solutions. A GDPR-compliant data management framework was implemented, integrating the SMILE dashboard for data collection and quality evaluation.
Technical advancements included:
• The Technical One-Stop-Shop (WP4) for developer resources.
• Enhanced cybersecurity measures across all solutions.
• Interoperability enhancements, including the Phi-Suite for secure data exchange.
• A Central Portal for unified access, integrating a Carer Dashboard and Hub Portal for data visualization.
• Pharaon-in-a-Box, providing sandbox environments for seamless technology integration.
Ecosystem Expansion and Open Calls
Two Open Calls expanded Pharaon’s impact:
• 11 new technologies integrated through Open Call 1.
• 12 additional projects joined via Open Call 2, broadening the platform’s scope.
Exploitation, Sustainability, and Impact
Pharaon identified 125 key exploitable results, categorized using the TAALXONOMY framework and integrated into CATAALOG, promoting assistive technologies. Business models were developed to ensure long-term sustainability.
Impact was assessed using Quality of Life (QoL), Service Usability, and Cost-Effectiveness KPIs, showing measurable improvements. 630 training sessions engaged 1,143+ participants, closing digital skills gaps. Policy recommendations were developed based on pilot findings, and ethical guidelines were released.
Dissemination and Standardization
Pharaon’s results were widely shared through:
• 48 online articles, 3 print articles, 4 radio & 1 TV feature
• 61 conferences, trade fairs, and webinars
• 11 organized events, including the Pharaon Final Event (Florence, June 2024, 200+ participants)
• CEN Workshop Agreement (CWA 18123) on Action Research for Large-Scale Piloting
Finalization and Market Readiness
In its final phase, Pharaon:
• Prioritized interoperability and impact assessment.
• Developed a common data model for seamless ecosystem integration.
• Strengthened technical and user interoperability to enhance usability.
• Completed risk assessments, value propositions, and market strategies for 9 key exploitable results, ensuring readiness for TRL9 adoption.
• Defined impact assurance strategies to support replication, scalability, and investment attraction.
Through its extensive pilots, technology integrations, and policy contributions, Pharaon demonstrated the potential of digital solutions to support independent living and enhance the well-being of Europe’s aging population.
Main Distinctive Advancements:
Interoperability & Data Exchange
- Pharaon data model for seamless data exchange across domains.
- PhI-Suite and IDS for secure, sovereignty-compliant data sharing.
Technical Infrastructure Enhancements
- Central Portal with Keycloak SSO, Carer Dashboard, and Hub Portal for data aggregation.
- ETL Pipelines and Unified Data Model for semantic consistency.
Large-Scale Deployment & Impact Assessment
- Recruitment of 2,892 participants, plus 450 from Open Calls.
- Policy recommendations and ethical guidelines from pilot learnings.
- Statistical tools for Quality of Life, service usability, and sustainability improvements.
Training & Knowledge Transfer
- 630 training sessions and 104 videos, 77 manuals created.
Exploitation & Market Readiness
- Identification of 9 Exploitable Results.
Standardization
- Finalization of CEN Workshop Agreement (CWA 18123) on Action Research for Large-Scale Piloting.
Interoperability & Data Exchange
- Pharaon data model for seamless data exchange across domains.
- PhI-Suite and IDS for secure, sovereignty-compliant data sharing.
Technical Infrastructure Enhancements
- Central Portal with Keycloak SSO, Carer Dashboard, and Hub Portal for data aggregation.
- ETL Pipelines and Unified Data Model for semantic consistency.
Large-Scale Deployment & Impact Assessment
- Recruitment of 2,892 participants, plus 450 from Open Calls.
- Policy recommendations and ethical guidelines from pilot learnings.
- Statistical tools for Quality of Life, service usability, and sustainability improvements.
Training & Knowledge Transfer
- 630 training sessions and 104 videos, 77 manuals created.
Exploitation & Market Readiness
- Identification of 9 Exploitable Results.
Standardization
- Finalization of CEN Workshop Agreement (CWA 18123) on Action Research for Large-Scale Piloting.