Environmental Justice using Urban Scalable Toolkit (e-JUST) is a long-term, web GIS-based project focused on creating a toolkit to visualize trends between datasets to improve environmental justice actions across the Chicago metropolitan area, and beyond. We incorporate data from several sources including Array of Things, NASA remote-sensed and model datasets, high-resolution urban climate models, and census data into one platform. Giving a range of options for customizable spatial and temporal resolutions allows for quick and easy comparisons between data sets. We serve four potential user types: interdisciplinary scientists and researchers, policymakers and staff, community members, and developers.

The design of the toolkit incorporates fluency, simplicity, accessibility, and flexibility – one characteristic representing the needs of each user – and approach the design of the toolkit from the “simplicity” and “accessibility” perspective as to not create an unnecessary barrier to entry. We identify four primary objectives: (1) develop e-JUST architecture with capacity for scale and portability, (2) co-identify extreme heat and air quality threats to health, equity, and crime, (3) develop integrated products for equity-informed planning and decision-making, (4) empower communities with evidence-based measures to improve health equity and reduce crime.

A toolkit of this scale, capacity, and accessibility is unprecedented. Relationships visualized from e-JUST (including those that have already been identified such as between air temperature and crime) provide evidence to adopt no-cost health and equity strategies in the short-term and help prepare for solutions to advance environmental justice actions across Chicagoland and surrounding regions in the long-term.