Achoo (beta 0.1): A Predictive Ashtma Alert System

5 minute read | Updated:

![Achoo](https://github.com/tmthyjames/Achoo/blob/master/img/ACHOO-FINAL.png?raw=true)

Achoo

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If you [follow me on Twitter](https://twitter.com/TmthyDobbins) then you've seen me talking about Achoo for a few months. Well, recently I got accepted to give a talk about it at the data science convention, [AnacondaCON](https://anacondacon.io/). And today I'm releasing the beta version 0.1! With that, I'd like to explain how Achoo got started and what it attempts to solve.
</br>
Achoo started as a way of tracking my son's asthma history. His asthmatic episodes seemed to happen randomly and my wife and I couldn't pinpoint what was causing them; maybe nothing was. Either way, I wanted to track his inhaler usage and see if it correlated with environmental factors around him. Then I wanted to apply data science by using that data to predict if he would need his inhaler on any given day. If so, it would send out a notification to his school nurse so she could take preemptive measures if needed.
</br>
The first prototype was a [Raspberry Pi](https://www.raspberrypi.org/)-powered system that contained two buttons: the blue one for his inhaler, the red one for his breathing treatment (ignore the white one; it sends a signal to my phone when I lose it). Every time he used either treatment, he would just push the corresponding button so that the data would get collected.

If you follow me on Twitter then you've seen me talking about Achoo for a few months. Well, recently I got accepted to give a talk about it at the data science convention, AnacondaCON. And today I'm releasing the beta version 0.1! With that, I'd like to explain how Achoo got started and what it attempts to solve.

Achoo started as a way of tracking my son's asthma history. His asthmatic episodes seemed to happen randomly and my wife and I couldn't pinpoint what was causing them; maybe nothing was. Either way, I wanted to track his inhaler usage and see if it correlated with environmental factors around him. Then I wanted to apply data science by using that data to predict if he would need his inhaler on any given day. If so, it would send out a notification to his school nurse so she could take preemptive measures if needed.

The first prototype was a Raspberry Pi-powered system that contained two buttons: the blue one for his inhaler, the red one for his breathing treatment (ignore the white one; it sends a signal to my phone when I lose it). Every time he used either treatment, he would just push the corresponding button so that the data would get collected.

![Achoo](https://github.com/tmthyjames/Achoo/blob/master/img/achoo_prototype.jpg?raw=true)

Achoo

Along with this data, the Raspberry Pi also ran scripts every morning to collect weather, allergen, and air quality data. I would then merge all of this data to determine what caused his asthmatic episodes and predict when he would need his inhaler or breathing treatment. 
</br>
The problem is that this setup isn't easily reproducible or user-friendly at all. Enter [Achoo the app](https://achoo.us). 
</br>
The app is my attempt at making this available to as many people as possible and as conveniently as possible, which is also why I have [open-sourced](https://github.com/tmthyjames/Achoo) the project. My goal is that this project helps people track their asthma so they can take control of it or at least understand what factors causes it.
</br>
The first version of the app allows the user to capture their inhaler usage data but doesn't provide further insight. That feature will come in a couple of weeks as more data is produced and as I get more time to develop the app. I plan to release a dashboard that gives the users a quick way to look at their inhaler usage and how it correlates with other factors like weather, allergens, and air quality. Also, the next version will include alerts for when the app detects that an inhaler will be needed on any given day.
</br>
There are a number of other features that I would like to implement to make this app better. And I plan to release features pretty rapidly. If you have any feedback or feature requests, please <a data-toggle="tooltip" href="mailto:tmthyjames@gmail.com?Subject=Achoo%20Feature%20Request%20Blog" target="_top" title="Contact me">shoot me an email</a>.
</br>
If you are a developer and you'd like to contribute, you can find the project [here](https://github.com/tmthyjames/Achoo). Any help is greatly appreciated. 
</br>
I would like to thank various [Reddit](https://www.reddit.com/) communities for motivating me to create this app and providing such positive feedback, specifically the following subreddits: [/r/Python](https://www.reddit.com/r/Python/comments/70udwq/what_routine_tasks_do_you_automate_with_programs/), [/r/raspberry_pi](https://www.reddit.com/r/raspberry_pi/comments/72cjqr/achoo_the_raspberrypipowered_system_i_built_to/), [/r/Python again](https://www.reddit.com/r/Python/comments/729g39/achoo_the_raspberrypipowered_system_i_built_to/), [/r/datascience](https://www.reddit.com/r/datascience/comments/729gun/achoo_the_raspberrypipowered_system_i_built_to/), and [/r/coolgithubprojects](https://www.reddit.com/r/coolgithubprojects/comments/72jokk/this_project_uses_a_rasp_pi_to_track_when_my/)
</br>
Enjoy!

Along with this data, the Raspberry Pi also ran scripts every morning to collect weather, allergen, and air quality data. I would then merge all of this data to determine what caused his asthmatic episodes and predict when he would need his inhaler or breathing treatment.

The problem is that this setup isn't easily reproducible or user-friendly at all. Enter Achoo the app.

The app is my attempt at making this available to as many people as possible and as conveniently as possible, which is also why I have open-sourced the project. My goal is that this project helps people track their asthma so they can take control of it or at least understand what factors causes it.

The first version of the app allows the user to capture their inhaler usage data but doesn't provide further insight. That feature will come in a couple of weeks as more data is produced and as I get more time to develop the app. I plan to release a dashboard that gives the users a quick way to look at their inhaler usage and how it correlates with other factors like weather, allergens, and air quality. Also, the next version will include alerts for when the app detects that an inhaler will be needed on any given day.

There are a number of other features that I would like to implement to make this app better. And I plan to release features pretty rapidly. If you have any feedback or feature requests, please shoot me an email.

If you are a developer and you'd like to contribute, you can find the project here. Any help is greatly appreciated.

I would like to thank various Reddit communities for motivating me to create this app and providing such positive feedback, specifically the following subreddits: /r/Python, /r/raspberry_pi, /r/Python again, /r/datascience, and /r/coolgithubprojects

Enjoy!