The aim of the Dutch Skies ('Hollandse Luchten') project is to set up a measurement network in North Holland using air quality sensors. The Dutch Skies project is being carried out on behalf of the Province of North Holland. The RIVM (Rijksinstituut voor Volksgezondheid en Milieu) National Institute for Public Health and the Environment is one of the many partners in this project, including municipalities, local environmental agencies and citizen organisations.
Province of North Holland
Dutch skies started with a question from the Province of North Holland about how sensor technology can be used to monitor the air quality in the province. There are several official air quality measuring stations in North Holland. Supplemented with sensors, a fine-meshed measuring network can be made. Measure Together plays an important role in the assessment of the quality of the sensor data and the interpretation of the data.
Citizen science with Waag
Citizen Science is an important part of Dutch Skies. In various regions, residents are working with sensors to map the air quality in their neighborhood. Especially in the IJmond region, residents have many questions when it comes to air quality, due to the presence of a large steel factory, TATA steel. There are other concerns and questions also, for example about air pollution from road traffic or shipping. A total of 200 sensors have been made available by the province for citizen measurements. Most sensor kits measure particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10), humidity and temperature. In addition, a handful of 'extensive' sensors are used, which also measure nitrogen oxide and ozone.
The residents assembled the sensors themselves, under the supervision of the Waag. They also determine the goals of the pilot and the measurement plan themselves, and they jointly decided where to install the sensors. To enable the citizens to also analyze the data themselves, the Analyze Together Tool was designed and piloted in this project.