Build your own air quality sensor!

[ UUID ] 1710498c-81f2-49b7-921a-58aa91861235

[ Session Name ] Build your own air quality sensor! [ Primary Space ] Decentralisation [ Secondary Space ] Openness

[ Submitter's Name ] Wiebke Herding [ Submitter's Affiliated Organisation ] hackAIR / ON:SUBJECT [ Submitter's GitHub ] @wiebkehere

What will happen in your session?

Air pollution concerns all: it is the environmental issue that Europeans worry about the most, and has serious health implications. Air pollution is an invisible killer: official monitoring stations are few and far between – and their data not easily accessible for citizens. In the past two years, we have developed an open hardware design for air quality sensors that uses affordable electronic components. The hackAIR sensor design allows us to build a much denser monitoring network: by citizens, for citizens. In this hands-on session, we will help you build your own air quality sensor – and discuss how we can use participatory sensing to open up environmental information and take action to improve our neighbourhoods.

What is the goal or outcome of your session?

Very simple: You’ll learn how to build and programme your own air quality sensor and set it up in your home. You can use the sensor you build to learn about air quality in your neighbourhood – and contribute to a better map of the air that we breathe. Together with your neighbours, you can identify air pollution hotspots and campaign for improvements.

Time needed

90 mins