The rise of Internet of Things (IoT) in cities provided new monitoring and engagement opportunities for citizen science. Urban areas and environmental conditions that previously weren’t monitored at all or were covered only partially can now be studied at a higher spatio-temporal resolution thanks to the proliferation of IoT sensing devices that have gotten smaller and cheaper over time.

As this trend progressed, more people were able to conduct measurements in areas traditionally reserved for high-skilled professionals. The democratisation is especially evident in air quality monitoring and traffic counting where, today, hyperlocal data can be collected with relative ease by citizens at a fraction of the cost.

A good example is Telraam. The IoT technology changed the evaluation of traffic-related interventions from expert-driven to citizen-driven. Traditionally, traffic volumes and speed were recorded using magnetic loops, manual counts or floating car data. With Telraam, citizens can collect this information by placing a small tracker on their home window. For cities, this approach significantly reduces the cost of data collection and can provide a more trustworthy evidence base for policies because citizens are the ones who create it.

Citizen science sensors used in COMPAIR

In COMPAIR, a variety of low-cost, IoT-enabled sensors were used to track air quality and traffic in inner-city areas across Europe, with information then shared via analytics dashboards and apps (described in lesson 4.3).

Telraam

Telraam is a palm-sized traffic-counter attached to the window facing the street. Its AI-based system captures moving cars, cyclists, pedestrians, buses and trucks, day and night.

A citizen in Herzele attaching a Telraam sensor to the inner window

SODAQ

SODAQ AIR is a GPS-based mobile sensor for measuring static and dynamic exposure to particulate matter (PM1, PM2.5, PM10). It works from a fixed location and, because of its small size, can also be easily mounted on a bike or backpack.

Measuring dynamic exposure with SODAQ AIR during a bike tour in Ghent

Sensor.Community

Sensor.Community is a DIY sensor for measuring particulate matter. The kit can be assembled from scratch or purchased as a ready-made station. The main sensing device uses a laser light-scattering principle to measure the amount and size of particulate matter (PM2.5, PM10) suspended in the air.

Plovdiv students assembling a sensor.community kit

bcMeter

bcMeter is another DIY sensor for measuring soot, also known as black carbon, which is a component of fine particulate matter. The device has filter paper that captures black carbon present in polluted air. A beam of LED light is directed onto the filter paper. Parts absorbed by dark particles are then analysed to determine black carbon concentration.

bcMeters ready for deployment in Berlin

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