Volunteers Needed For Air Pollution Monitoring from Prams in Kentish Town and around this May
IOT Academy is looking for ‘geographically diverse’ pram users to take part in an air monitoring scheme #BuggyAir starting 9th May, who are also willing to be tracked by GPS. It will last around two weeks.
This is what they say about the project:
Today, in many of our cities, children represent the largest subgroup of the population susceptible to the effects of ground level air pollution caused by NO2 (Nitrogen Dioxide), PM (Particulate Matter) and others. Long term health implications include expanded lungs, asthma and significant deterioration in well being. Whilst there is a lot of work being done to measure and take action for air pollution, very little is being done for this specific demographic, which we believe is one the most important group, and needs immediate attention.
We have built a compact air quality monitoring and GPS tracking sensor that can be fitted to a child’s pushchair. The GPS records the precise location of each data point, and an in-built accelerometer intelligently combines with the GPS to determine when a pushchair is being walked around, or is instead travelling in a bus or the back of a car. We are currently trialing the device with parents in London.
We want parents/carers to have access to the information and data we collect so they can make informed decisions about which routes they use. Ultimately, BuggyAir aims to allow people learn about their child’s environment and act on the knowledge they didn’t have access to before. However, we also want to build up a better picture of infant exposure to air pollution and see how changes in behaviour and cities might reduce exposure.The data we collect will inspire long term behavioural change and influence legislation, for example: speed restrictions, traffic-free zones, traffic-free times, and more.
1. We have 10 prototype devices that we are trialing in London. We need volunteer parents/carers from the community who want to test them – all you need is a child and a buggy. 2. Anyone who is interested in building mobile air quality networks in cities e.g. cargo bike companies.
BuggyAir is a collaborative venture between IOTA, Superflux, ScienceScope and Virtual-Technologies. The project was a winner of the Innovate UK IOT Launchpad and also supported by BUPA and Suncorp
If you are interested, please get in touch: veetmaya@hotmail.com
Check out full details of the trial.
Check out the IOTA website.
