Inspiration

In 2020, nineteen volunteers committed themselves to monthly measurements of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) with Palmes tubes. In this way we learn more about air quality in more remote places and on the edges of the Netherlands, where few official measurements are taken.

Clean Air Arnhem is a project of the municipality of Arnhem. The project is being carried out by Natuur en Milieu Gelderland and Luchtwachters Arnhem. The project consists of setting up a citizen monitoring network for particulate matter, workshops on how best to light a wood stove, and a newsletter to inform people about all activities.

Sensor.community is one of the largest and fastest growing citizen science communities. Before November 2019, Sensor.Community was known as Luftdaten. This international platform shows all kinds of measurements, for example particulate matter, noise and temperature. You can also find data from different communities.

RIVM, in collaboration with the Safety Regions, will investigate the options offered by sensors in the event of fire or other incidents in which a lot of smoke is released.

The Smart City sensoring project of the municipality of Alkmaar has a Lora network available to everyone. Residents who want to measure in their own living environment can use this network to jointly devise, build and implement their ideas. They receive help from the Junior IOT foundation.

On May 17, 2019, 30 cyclists literally kicked off to measure the air quality on their bicycles. A measuring box with a sensor on each bicycle maps their route and measures the air quality along the way. In this project, RIVM indicates the real-time collected data. It is difficult to measure air quality accurately with small sensors. That is why RIVM ensures continuous calibration of the sensors, so that the quality and reliability of the data is as good as possible.

Visibilis stands for “visibility”. It is the core message of a citizen science project started by André van der Wiel and Dieter Pientka in May 2018. It is about making the invisible particles in the air visible that largely determine the quality of the air.

On this dashboard we display the journeys recorded via the DEVA, in combination with air quality data measured with mobile sensors or calculated via a model

A lesson package for pupils in the 5th and 6th grades or pupils in groups 6, 7 and 8 about air quality.

It's nice to light a BBQ in the summer, but what effect does this have on air quality and health?

It's nice to light a fire basket, but what effect does this have on air quality and health?

If a city or municipality wants to tackle mobility and traffic safety together with its residents, it is necessary to gain insight into the existing situation. Residents can do this via an abacus. With the support of the municipality or the city, residents for an abacus can receive better support in their residential area.

The city of Aalst had the concentration of NO2, nitrogen dioxide, in the air measured by the VMM in the city centre. The measurements show that the concentration has dropped significantly, with a calculated decrease of an average of 16 µg/m³ or 44% compared to 2018.

Kortrijk wants to improve the quality of life in Hoog Kortrijk and Kortrijk-Oost. In order to better coordinate spatial development, mobility and infrastructure works, the City of Kortrijk, with the support of the VMM, has carried out measurements of the air quality.

Fire and cosiness, two things that are strongly connected in our minds. But burning wood also has a downside: the smoke is unhealthy and sometimes causes nuisance in the neighborhood.

The VMM is a partner of the European COMPAIR project, which collects data on traffic flows and air quality through citizen science. In the project, the VMM helps local authorities to choose air quality sensors and citizens to easily measure the air quality in their neighbourhood with the sensor.

The DEVA (Dynamic Exposure Visualisation App) allows you to explore air quality and traffic congestion in your area in various ways.

The City of Bruges is committed to the further development of a sustainable measuring network throughout the city. Through traffic counts with smart cameras at a number of mobility hubs, the City monitors the various modes of transport and links these to air quality measurements (fine dust, nitrogen dioxide, ozone). We then simulate the effect of various measures that improve air quality on the mobility network. In this way, the impact of the modal shift, one-way traffic or a school street can be examined. Using these tools, the city will draw up a substantiated air quality action plan with concrete actions to improve local air quality in the coming years.

With the help of the European project COMPAIR, residents of the Vogelkeswijk in the city of Sint-Niklaas have been given a say in the evaluation of temporary traffic measures based on sensor data and by means of data cafés. This was prior to the development of garden streets in their neighbourhood.

Members of the Hovese environmental council went out with particulate matter sensors in the first months of 2024 to map local sources of air pollution. Much more than traffic, wood smoke stood out as a local source.

Within the LIFE CityTRAQ project, we are working together on a future with clean air. The goal is clear: better air quality for our cities. For example, the city of Ghent will check the impact on the air quality of a school street o as well as evaluate the district mobility plans.

Within the LIFE CityTRAQ project, we are working together on a future with clean air. The goal is clear: better air quality for our cities. For example, the city of Ghent will check the impact on the air quality of a school street o as well as evaluate the district mobility plans.

Since 2021, the VMM has been participating in the European Horizon 2020 project COMPAIR. This project develops technology tailored to citizens and local policymakers and experiments with them to increase the impact of measures and behavioral change. The VMM plays a crucial role in technological development and the development of a more effective air policy based on the data obtained. In addition, the VMM stimulates the involvement of citizens and monitors behavioral changes.

Within the LIFE CityTRAQ project, we are working together towards a future with cleaner air. The goal is clear: better air quality for our cities. With six dedicated partners on board, we bring together traffic counts and air quality measurements to not only detect and measure air pollution, but also to understand the effects of our mobility choices.

North of Eindhoven, several citizen movements are enthusiastically mapping air pollution. They assemble sensors themselves and work well with the municipal authorities. Piet van Schijndel from Meierijstad and Peter van Heerebeek from Best talk about their joint mission to put air quality on the local agenda for citizens and government.