Collaborative project: Citizens participate in data collection and analysis

Overall goal: Assess air quality, humidity and temperature in different cities of Argentina. Specific goals: • Map the air pollution affecting the population and learn about the changes in pollution levels. • Design corridors for climate change mitigation across urban areas, defining a strategy to understand the scope and limitations of measurements. • Provide technical and educational evidence for citizens to access information that will allow them to know the quality of the air they breathe, and the relation between pollution, climate change and urban dynamics. 

Description of citizen participation: It involves the development of low-cost sensors by students from public universities at workshops organized by Argentina's Ministry of Environmental and Sustainable Development (MAyDS in Sapnish) and UNDP. Each sensor weighs 500 grams and measures different variables, such as the levels of particles suspended in the air, humidity, and temperature.   Once assembled, the sensors are delivered and fixed to the bikes and backpacks of the volunteers selected. Volunteer selection is based on frequency of circulation and daily commutes across urban and adjoining areas.  After a certain number of weeks, sensor data are collected to create air pollution maps. Volunteers can see the level of pollution they are exposed to along their daily commutes, and they may provide solutions to reduce their own emissions. 

Time frame. 04/29/2019 – N/A

Project leaders. • María Eugenia Di Paola, UNDP Accelerator Lab in Argentina. • Lorena Gordillo Dagallier, UNDP Accelerator Lab in Argentina.

Contact information. Email: info@open-seneca.org Email: matias.acosta@undp.org Web: open-seneca.org