Air quality monitoring and data visualization: a citizens and DIY approach

Rapid developments in technology led to the production of small, low-cost air pollution sensors. These new technologies, used by academics, industry, communities and individuals, symbolize the future of air quality monitoring. New technologies have the potential to serve many purposes, including: In-plant sensor networks and “fenceline” monitoring – facilities could use sensor networks to detect fugitive emissions Monitoring near emissions sources – helping communities understand near-source exposures Wearable sensors – engaging citizens in personal monitoring, and learning about exposures during exercise and the exposure of sensitive family members Mobile sensor platforms – developing spatially resolved data on air quality in local areas Supplementing current air quality monitoring networks with a high density sensor network epa.gov

Experts

People constantly ask me: What’s the quality of this sensor? How good is it? Does it really work? They ask me because I work at Sonoma Technology, Inc. (STI), which provides high-end consulting to air quality agencies like the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. At STI, we use expensive, extremely accurate instruments to assess air quality conditions for scientific studies that affect policy and regulatory decisions. But at home, during nights and weekends, I’m hacking and working with low-cost air quality monitors with the DIY, non-profit, and maker communities. Tim Dye

Expert knowledge/Citizen Science Types: Air Quality Egg (networks), FLOAT (poetics), Smart Air (commercial). New generation: sensors (wearables and mobile)

Citizen science and public engagement

The possibility of treating citizens as `extended peer reviewers' of science for policy (Funtowicz and Ravetz 1991) Public engagement may assist in bridging knowledge and policy (Yearley 2006).

airqualityegg.com

airqualityEGG features A community-led air quality sensing network Open source hardware Internet of Things platform and hobbyist device for crowdsourced citizen monitoring of airborne pollutants. One of the Best of Kickstarter project in 2012 Presence in Wikispaces, Google Groups and Github.

Pachube was a web service that enabled to store, share & discover realtime sensor, energy and environment data from objects, devices & buildings around the world.

FLOAT-Beijing

FLOAT features Collaborative, community- oriented project. Kites which sense pollutants in the air, recording air-quality data and also reflecting it visually with multi-colour LED lights. In 2013, through a series of workshops and mass kite-flights, FLOAT aimed to spark discussion about air pollution in Beijing.

smartairfilters.com

SmartAIR features A PhD student living in China gathered data from different air purifiers and showed that the DIY version could be more efficient and cheaper. Smartair started commercializing HEPA filters and fans and has make a profit out of it. Run workshops to explain how to build air purifiers.

New generation

aircasting.org

Air beam features AirCasting is a platform for recording, mapping, and sharing health and environmental data using your smartphone. Sound levels recorded by their phone microphone; Temperature, humidity, and fine particulate matter (PM2.5) concentrations recorded by the Arduino-powered AirBeam; Temperature, humidity, carbon monoxide (CO) and nitrogen dioxide (NO 2 ) gas concentrations recorded by the Arduino-powered AirCasting Air Monitor; Heart rate, heart rate variability, R to R, breathing rate, activity level, peak acceleration and core temperature measurements.

joinclarity.io

Clarity Presented as the World's smallest PM2.5 Sensor. First was conceived as a wearable, more recently as a sensor that shows data in the cloud. Not completely finished, but already featuring in media, and had advanced in operations in China. Start-up from University of California, Berkeley.

TZOA Features Wearable ‘environ-tracker’. TZOA is currently in the middle of a crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo. Finishing R&D and prototyping. Sensor of PM2.5, UV, light, humidity and temp.

Most initiatives have started as citizen actions and latter have introduced commercial elements. Sensors are becoming essential part of air quality monitoring (over counter particles), however their value is through the internet (communities, cloud and geolocation). DIY sensors are bringing new opportunities to reassess pollution in a mobile, individual and located way, but is still under construction. Pachube (now Xively) and Arduino have being very popular among air quality monitoring community.

What matters for six cities project Is any air quality monitoring initiative in your city worth telling because of its social significance, controversial points or potential to change the current understanding/governance of air pollution? How the evolution of monitored pollutants (NO, CO2 and PM2.5), spatial reference (fixed, indoor, outdoor, mobile), What motivates citizen air quality: Knowledge/oriented, advocacy oriented Is the citizens’ data serving for peer reviewing the official data? Is the data coping with lack of knowledge. Cloud services is key to boast the service. However, the analysis is presenting similar or more complex problems as in governmental fixed stations.

Funtowicz S O, Ravetz J R, 1991, ``A new scientific methodology for global environmental issues'', in Ecological Economics Ed. R Costanza (Columbia University Press, New York) pp Yearley, Steven. 2006a. Bridging the Science—Policy Divide in Urban Air-Quality Management: Evaluating Ways to Make Models More Robust through Public Engagement. Environment and Planning C 24 (S): 701—714.