Together for better air!
Using citizen sensors to improve urban air quality
Air pollution is the largest environmental health risk in Europe
We help cities and regions improve air quality by raising the quality of citizen science data for decision making. Equipping citizens with easy to use sensors and data dashboards we supplement gaps in official data to help drive the necessary personal and policy changes needed for a sustainable future.
Citizen Science for all
For Policy Makers
See our results and start harnessing and using citizen measurement data for better policy support.
For Citizens
Understand the issues caused by poor air quality and find out how you can make a difference via citizen science.
For Researchers
Check out our sensors, data dashboards and methods for raising the quality of citizen science data.
Our air quality experiment locations
Flanders, Belgium
Focus: Measuring the impact of a school street in Herzele on traffic and air quality in a surrounding area.
Sofia, Bulgaria
Focus: 1) Determining the impact of the introduction of school bus routes for morning and noon transport to school through a community building exercise with 2 schools on the outskirts of the LEZ. 2) Establishing the typical air pollution exposure profile of older kids in schools with school bus service implementation in public transportation. 3) Evaluate the efficiency of window meshes at reducing indoor PM levels at a kindergarten school.
Athens, Greece
Focus: Creating awareness on air quality among the elderly.
Plovdiv, Bulgaria
Focus: 1) Raising awareness and knowledge among school kids on typical PM phenomena. 2) Raising awareness on the impact of traffic on air pollution and generating baseline measurements for the future introduction of an LEZ.
Berlin, Germany
Focus: 1) Ascertaining exposure of cyclists and school kids on their way to school/work and evaluating both spontaneous and “helped” behavioural change with the overarching aim to push this experience to other cyclists and schools across Berlin. 2) Increase the amount of information on air quality available in the Friedrichshagen area on the city outskirts as only 1 reference station is located there, demonstrating the use of citizen science to accomplish this. 3) Demonstrate the positive effect of a local traffic ban on liveability in the affected neighbourhood. Get the neighbourhood involved and build support for this specific measure through monitoring and data workshops.
Why we do citizen science
To create communities that pinpoint local air quality issues
Local people who understand their neighbourhoods inside out are best placed to work together to pinpoint environmental issues and help create local solutions to tackle them.
To support citizens in running their own air quality experiments
Anyone regardless of background can join COMPAIR and participate in measuring and reviewing air quality against other city data sources. COMPAIR supports volunteers with simple tools to help capture, compare and understand the data.
To facilitate conversations with urban decision makers
Understanding air quality data is not enough. COMPAIR helps volunteer groups to make their solutions real, from local actions everyone can take to influencing wider city policy.
A COMPAIR Point of View
By leveraging citizen science, cities can tap into the greatest asset they have at their disposal - their citizens. Through measurement activities and co-innovation, COMPAIR facilitates collaborative spirit and knowledge exchange within the urban fabric, leaving all stakeholders better off as a result.
Lieven Raes, Digital Vlaanderen
COMPAIR Coordinator
Expected Impact
Multi-stakeholder collaboration across the entire urban value chain
High-quality citizen science data ready for use in policy making
Increased environmental awareness leading to behavioural change
More empowered and resilient communities
Air pollution in European cities reduced to levels that are considered safe for all