ReSource International carried out a workshop on citizen participation in particulate matter monitoring. The project was funded by the Icelandic Road and Coastal Administration (IRCA)‘s Research Fund. The purpose was to introduce simple air quality sensors to participants and guide them in the assembling and use of the sensors.

The workshop was held at IRCA’s premises and was well attended by specialists in air quality measurements. Supervision was in the hands of the environmental consultants Marteinn Möller (Project manager) and Hafliði Eiríkur Guðmundsson from our company ReSource. All participants were given sensors to take home, set up and start measuring free of charge.

Marteinn Möller, Project manager from Resource International ehf.

Particulate matter pollution measured closer to people

The aim of these simple sensors is to establish a denser network of particulate matter monitoring throughout Iceland in order to obtain better information and a broader overview of particulate matter pollution in the immediate vicinity of the public. This data is also useful, for example, in research on the distribution of particulate matter throughout Iceland, especially with regard to ash fall, pollution caused by fireworks, soil erosion or the use of studded tires. A deeper understanding of mitigation measures such as street cleaning could also be obtained with a denser network of sensors.

Open source particulate matter sensor

The project is an extension of the international project sensor.community (formerly luftdaten.info). The data collected by the sensors used in this project is accessible with an internet interface that takes care of uploading measurements automatically and publishing them on the sensor.community platform. The data is made open and accessible to everyone, as well as the software and design of the firmware. ReSource International prepared an instruction booklet in Icelandic for all those who want to participate.

sensor.community webpage

On the sensor.community website, it can be seen that the network of meters has become very dense throughout Europe, with the exception of Iceland. It is hoped, however, that this will change in the near future and that this workshop was the first step in increased air quality monitoring for the public.

Photos from www.vegagerdin.is