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A Citizen Science and Government Collaboration: Developing Tools to Facilitate Community Air Monitoring
Citation:
Kaufman, A., R. Williams, T. Barzyk, M. Greenberg, M. OShea, P. Sheridan, A. Hoang, C. Ash, A. Teitz, M. Mustafa, AND S. Garvey. A Citizen Science and Government Collaboration: Developing Tools to Facilitate Community Air Monitoring. ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE. Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., New Rochelle, NY, 10(2):1-11, (2017).
Impact/Purpose:
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) mission is to protect human health and the environment. To move toward achieving this goal, EPA is facilitating identification of potential environmental concerns, particularly in vulnerable communities. The general public has shown strong interest in collecting environmental data of importance to their family or community1,2. This desire is driven by a wide variety of factors, including concerns citizens have about known or perceived local pollution sources. The recent introduction of lower cost (less than $2,500.00) environmental monitors and sensors into the public domain has increased citizens’ awareness of tools that may be available for them to collect environmental data for their own use3,4,5,6. Citizens are now able to conduct citizen science, an increasingly popular activity, which refers to the collection and analysis of data by members of the general public, typically as part of a collaborative project with professional scientists7. Communities are increasingly becoming involved in citizen science projects that involve open collaboration, address real-world problems, identify research questions, collect and analyze data, interpret results, make new discoveries, develop technologies and applications, and solve complex problems.
Description:
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is actively involved in supporting citizen science projects and providing communities with information and assistance for conducting their own air pollution monitoring. As part of a Regional Applied Research Effort (RARE) project, EPA's Office of Research and Development (ORD) worked collaboratively with EPA Region 2 and the Ironbound Community Corporation (ICC) in Newark, New Jersey, to develop and test the “Air Sensor Toolbox for Citizen Scientists.” In this collaboration, citizen scientists measured local gaseous and particulate air pollution levels by using a customized low-cost sensor pod designed and fabricated by EPA. This citizen science air quality measurement project provided an excellent opportunity for EPA to evaluate and improve the Toolbox resources available to communities. The Air Sensor Toolbox, developed in coordination with the ICC, can serve as a template for communities across the country to use in developing their own air pollution monitoring programs in areas where air pollution is a concern. This pilot project provided an opportunity for a highly motivated citizen science organization and the EPA to work together directly to address environmental concerns within the community. Useful lessons were learned about how to improve coordination between the government and communities and the types of tools and technologies needed for conducting an effective citizen science project that can be applied to future efforts.
