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New SunSmart Global UV App endorsed by the United Nations

News / Davina Montgomery / March 16, 2023

SunSmart Global UV App

Cancer Council Victoria has partnered with the Applied Artificial Intelligence Institute (A2I2) to deliver a global version of the SunSmart App.

Photo: Product Manager at Deakin University’s Applied AI Institute, Andrew Vouliotis

Cancer Council Victoria’s Head of Prevention, Adjunct Associate Professor Craig Sinclair, said all Victorians should download the SunSmart Global UV app to identify the UV times of the day that puts them at risk of sun damage.

“We want people to use UV and sun protection times to help guide behaviours, and not to rely on the temperature, as you can’t see or feel UV radiation, the damage is often being done before it is noticed,” he said.

SunSmart Global UV is one of very few Apps officially endorsed by the United Nations (UN).

The app was developed by Cancer Council Victoria, in partnership with Deakin University’s Applied AI Institute (A2I2) and funded by the ARC Research Hub for Digital Enhanced Living.

A2I2 Product Manager, Andrew Vouliotis, said this latest version of the SunSmart App was taking the SunSmart messages that Australians are so familiar with: Slip on clothing, Slop on suncreen, Slap on a hat, Seek shade and Slide on sunglasses; to the rest of the world.

“It was our job to bring Cancer Council Victoria’s vision of a global SunSmart App into reality,” Andrew said.

While speaking at a briefing at the United Nations in Geneva, WHO spokesperson, Carla Drysdale added that the app “aims to help people around the world know when to use sun protection, in an effort to reduce the global burden of skin cancer and UV-related eye damage.”

The app was truly a collaborative effort, and the result is a single App that provides daily sun protection times, and, where the forecast data is available, a five-day weather and UV forecast. SunSmart Global UV is one of only a few apps in the world to be officially endorsed by the United Nations (UN).

Andrew and the project team collaborated with national and international agencies to gather UV and forecast data.  Live UV data comes from the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency (ARPANSA), with global UV drawn from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF). The Bureau of Meteorology (the Bureau) worked with the ECMWF, helping to guide them on method of forecasting UV data in Australia. While weather data is provided by the Hong Kong Observatory.

To bring the vision of a global UV alert app to life, Cancer Council Victoria partnered internationally with the World Health Organization (WHO), the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), the International Labour Organization, and the UN Environment Programme (UNEP).

Andrew’s top App tip: Turn on the sun protection notifications, they let you know around 30-minutes in advance of when sun protection is required that you will need sun protection today.

FAQs:

  • Skin cancers are one of the most preventable types of cancer.
  • More than two in three Australians will be diagnosed with skin cancer in their lifetime.
  • Supported by the World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), the app provides worldwide UV levels tailored to each user’s specific location, providing clear guidance on when sun protection is required whether you are working, travelling or being active outdoors.
  • With Australia having one of the highest UV rates in the world and UV capable of causing skin damage to people who spend just 11 minutes outdoors unprotected, the SunSmart Global UV app is a free and innovative solution to bring daily sun protection information no matter where you are in the world.
  • The SunSmart Global UV app is free for download through the Apple and Google Play Stores and is available in eight languages including English, Italian, French, Spanish, German, Dutch, Chinese and Russian.

If you would like to learn more about how to protect your skin or for SunSmart sun protection advice visit sunsmart.com.au.

SunSmart Global UV is available as a free download on the App Store and Google Play.