Blue is sky above Stuttgart, day is cold and clear. The air looks clean and fresh – but it is not. Nowhere in Germany are re as much fine dust as here. The EU limit values are often exceeded, and several times a year, administration calls for a fine dust alarm. From heaters, industrial chimneys and diesel exhausts come tiny particles that form it. When Stuttgart brea, fine particles penetrate deep into ir lungs. What he is doing re is not yet researched in full detail. Sure it’s not good. In this respect, particulate matter has long been able to absorb radioactivity – both surround a similarly mysterious aura: both are everywhere, but you cannot see, hear, taste or feel. Only measure. This is what Stuttgart activists want, who launched Luftdaten.info project three years ago. With help of thousands of volunteers, y have since built up a huge network of measuring stations, which in Germany determine fine dust concentration as widely as possible and place data on Internet. There are state measuring points, but far too few of m. In fine-dust capital Stuttgart y are only in four places, and measurement results are published in a very delayed time.
if ( typeof AdController !== ‘undefined’ !window.Zeit.isMobileView()) { if ( !document.getElementById( ‘iqadtile8’ ) ) { var elem = document.createElement( ‘div’ ); elem.id = ‘iqadtile8’; elem.className = “ad ad-desktop ad-desktop–8 ad-desktop–8-on-article”; elem.setAttribute(‘data-banner-type’, ‘desktop’); elem.setAttribute(‘data-banner-label’, ‘Anzeige’); document.getElementById(‘ad-desktop-8’).parentNode.appendChild(elem); AdController.render(‘iqadtile8’); if ( window.console typeof window.console.info === ‘function’ ) { window.console.info(‘AdController ‘ AdController.VERSION ‘ tile 8 desktop’) } } } if ( typeof AdController !== ‘undefined’ window.Zeit.isMobileView()) { if ( !document.getElementById( ‘iqadtile3’ ) ) { var elem = document.createElement( ‘div’ ); elem.id = ‘iqadtile3’; elem.className = “ad ad-mobile ad-mobile–3 ad-mobile–3-on-article”; elem.setAttribute(‘data-banner-type’, ‘mobile’); document.getElementById(‘ad-mobile-3’).parentNode.appendChild(elem); AdController.render(‘iqadtile3’); if ( window.console typeof window.console.info === ‘function’ ) { window.console.info(‘AdController ‘ AdController.VERSION ‘ tile 3 mobile’) } } }
The idea of luftdaten.info comes not from environmentalists, but from data activists from Open Knowledge Foundation, a foundation that has set itself goal of making as much data publicly available as possible. There are 26 regional groups, OK Labs, in Germany. They ask government agencies, for example, for data on quality of drinking water and make m visible on net. When activists from OK Lab tried to get information about fine dust concentration in Stuttgart, y did not have what y wanted. So Jan Lutz, who gave project decisive impetus, and his comrades began to tinker. They developed prototype for an air measuring sensor. Inexpensive it should be easy to assemble and easy to connect to grid. Using a Crowdfunding campaign, y collected 10,000 euros for first 300 pieces within only six weeks. In meantime, Stuttgart is best documented city at luftdaten.org, but project is no longer only re. In whole of Germany, comrades in gardens, on terraces, on facades and balconies assemble new facilities. Ten-year-old students do with retired engineers, Swabian housewives, says Lutz. But if you want to join, you have to tinker.
This text comes from time Knowledge magazine 1/18. You can purchase current booklet at kiosk or here.
The components cost about 30 euros. On shopping list, which can be downloaded from luftdaten.org, re are cable ties, hose (diameter 6 mm), USB cable for power supply, temperature and humidity sensor, WLAN module and of course heart: Sensor unit. The whole is put toger and n installed in two Ineinandergesteckte sewage pipe parts – programming or soldering is not necessary. “Tinkering is very important for project,” says Lutz. “Whoever assembles his measuring station himself is proud to have made it. And those who are proud remain loyal to project. ” If measuring station is activated, a small fan of ambient air is fanned into sensor chamber from now on every few minutes. There it is illuminated: after fine dust particles with a size of ten microns and particles with a size of 2.5 micrometers. The fact that quality of data is below those of state measuring points is open to creators of Luftdaten.info. The self-made sensors count all particles that are in air but cannot distinguish between pollen and lead crumbs.
Citizen Science
Research that everyone can participate in
More and more scientific projects are relying on cooperation of volunteers. They evaluate data, observe nature, view documents or control ir abilities in or ways. Citizen-Science is usually open to all interested parties, does not require a doctorate, matriculation or a high school diploma or mastery of technical Chinese. All you need is curiosity and time. and an Internet connection.
The fact that Bürgersensorennetz still provides valuable data is due to mass. If only one measuring point reports something extraordinary, it can be a coincidence. However, if all measuring points report abnormalities, this indicates a trend. The more measuring points re are, more reliable is statement of data. And re are more and more – In meantime project is celebrated not only in Germany but worldwide. The manufacturer in China, which is building sensor unit, sometimes even had delivery difficulties.
