Lead image: Image: from www.airwatchbayarea.org/

For our next quarterly research area review, we're returning to the topic of air quality and focusing on DATA. What are ways to visualize and communicate air quality data so more people become aware of an issue, so decision-makers can see what neighbors see, and so community members can take personal action to protect their health.

Upcoming events to talk & learn about air quality data

📅 Throughout the review, we'll hold events for anyone to join and participate:

• A research area review kick-off call on Tuesday, October 26, at 12pm PT / 3pm ET / 7pm UTC (during Open Call). Come with your questions and ideas about air quality data and learn how to join this collaborative topic review!
• Weekly drop-in Open Calls from November 2 to December 7, with an air quality data theme.

📣 And at the end of the research area review, we'll have a "Week of Delving into Air Quality Data":

• A wrap-up event where we'll present accessible methods for visualizing and communicating air quality data.
• A facilitated open community discussion where people can meet others interested in air quality data and exchange questions and ideas.
• A presentation by guest speakers who are locally investigating air quality in their communities.
• A live build or tool demonstration with the Public Lab Kits team!

Stay tuned for separate event posts with event dates and times and call-in details. UPDATE: Find dates and call-in details for these events here!

Frequently Asked Questions

What's the goal of the review?

We want to make it easier for anyone with air quality data to understand it and use it to take action.

What will we do in the review to reach these goals?

We'll combine our collective time and talents to gather and create resources on air quality data visualization and communication. We'll review materials on PublicLab.org and from other published resources, create new materials on air quality data, and hold public calls for anyone to join and share their ideas. We'll focus on:

• Gathering and posting frequently asked questions about communicating air quality data;
• Talking with people to find answers to these common questions;
• Creating step-by-step activities for getting started with data visualization and communication;
• Collecting and organizing this information on a collaborative wiki;
• Supporting updates to air quality monitoring projects on the Public Lab website.

👋 Anyone can join in on doing these activities, and any other contributions to this topic are welcome!

What are some ways to participate or follow along?

• Follow the #air-quality-data and #air-quality tags on PublicLab.org and receive updates about new posts and questions on this topic;
• Share your questions about air quality data: post them on PublicLab.org, or join an Open Call if you want to talk questions through and get support with posting them;
• Answer questions that get posted!
• Try out step-by-step activities as they get posted, offer feedback on them, or create your own activity;
• Share air quality data visualizations you've made by posting a research note;
• Join us on a call: the kick-off meeting and weekly Open Calls are opportunities to share questions and ideas during the review period.

When will we do the review?

From now until mid-December 2021

Why did we choose air quality data as a topic to review?

Several community groups already involved with Public Lab are currently collecting air quality data with various sensors and monitors. They share common questions about how to communicate their data effectively, and we can collectively build guidance around this together.

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