Measuring the external exposome with the internet of things: A technical perspective

Public health is increasingly influenced by environmental exposures that affect human well-being. The concept of the external exposome, the totality of environmental exposures an individual experiences throughout life, has emerged as a critical framework in this context. This paper presents a comprehensive and accessible technical overview of how the Internet of Things (IoT) can monitor the external exposome and support public health initiatives. Focusing on air, water, and land-based environmental parameters, we provide a tutorial-style introduction tailored to public health and medical researchers with limited engineering backgrounds. Our discussion covers key IoT building blocks, including sensor types, communication protocols, power management strategies, and data analytics, emphasizing their practical application in indoor and outdoor environments. We review real-world IoT deployments across domains such as air quality monitoring, radiation detection, extreme weather surveillance, and biological pollutant tracking, highlighting technical challenges and societal benefits. To support practical adoption, we introduce implementation templates that consider trade-offs among power consumption, data volume, and connectivity, offering actionable guidance for non-specialist users. This paper bridges disciplinary divides and encourages interdisciplinary collaboration in exposome research by integrating technological foundations with public health goals. We illustrate how IoT-enabled, real-time, and context-aware sensing systems can play a transformative role in advancing environmental public health.