CitizAir: Interactive communication of urban air towards increased public knowledge and engagement

CitizAir wants to stimulate citizens’ awareness and engagement in local air quality, by making visualized open data available through interactive public screens and electronic billboards in the city of Stockholm. The two most health-affecting local air pollutants are nitrogen oxides and micro particles.

Pollutant levels in different parts of the city will be displayed on screens in the same areas. Data will also be available to touchless interaction with and to download, using personal smartphones. Thus, citizens can make better informed decisions about which streets to travel and means of transportation to use.

People will also be equipped and empowered to discuss and influence local environmental policies.

The project partners KTH, Vetenskap & Allmänhet, a national NGO, and SLB-analys, Stockholm’s department of air and noise analysis, will collaborate with residents in the Stockholm region to make open publicly funded research results visualized in an as clear, captivating and educational way as possible, using participatory and co-creative methods.

Citizen scientists can then investigate the visualizations on public screens in city streets, at bus stops and metro stations and then continue to explore on their devices as they move on. This open-air interaction will draw bystanders’ attention, multiplying engagement. Beside public screens, the project results will be communicated and displayed using social and traditional media.

The contents and technology will also be offered to local museums and public libraries, inviting them to curate exhibits and encouraging visitors to investigate issues of air quality.

Finally, the developed scripts, visualization programme and communication strategy will be published open source, allowing communities world-wide to adapt and use it.

The project will thus stimulate democratic discussions on sustainable long-term city dwelling and development, and contribute to achieving SDG:s 3 Good health and wellbeing, 4 Quality education, and 11 Sustainable cities and communities.