AirBox

Taiwan's AirBox is a citizen-participatory observation network that uses low-cost air pollution sensors to measure particulate matter such as PM2.5, temperature, and humidity in real time and share the data over the Internet. This enables a detailed understanding of the atmospheric environment in each region, making it easier for the general public as well as governments and research institutes to voluntarily take countermeasures and disseminate information. In Taiwan, government and private organizations are cooperating to visualize and utilize the data widely in the form of Open Data.

The following is a brief summary of key points made by Audrey Tang during the meetup Meetup with Audrey & Glen, quoting the relevant parts where she mentioned "AirBox" and "WaterBox" (abstract from original English, translated from Japanese).

(Audrey Tang, translator's note)

• At the time, Taiwan had an initiative called "AirBox. This was an inexpensive Raspberry Pi air quality sensor (PM2.5 measurement) system that could be deployed in elementary schools and on home balconies with government funding. The measurements are then stored in a distributed ledger (at the time IOTA).
• In this way, the public can handle the measurement data themselves, rather than being in a situation where 'only the government has the monopoly on the numbers and only the government ministers can be trusted. Instead of the central government controlling the interpretation of measurements, the data will be made public so that anyone can take advantage of the high accuracy of the measurements.
• When high-resolution data is obtained, it is possible to see specifically "where the sources of air pollution are located," and instead of mere confrontation (complaints and protests), we can move toward "working together to create solutions. The same approach has been applied to the "WaterBox" water quality sensor."

Explanation (Summary)

• AirBox / WaterBox is a citizen participation project to monitor air and water quality in Taiwan.
• The government does not have a monopoly on the data, but puts sensors in the hands of citizens and records the measurement results in a distributed ledger,
  • Eliminate the situation where only the government holds the measurements,
  • Ensure that data can be referenced and utilized by anyone,
  • Share the interpretation of measurement results with the public" to identify the source of contamination with high resolution → Collaboration, not confrontation.
• This led to positive participation, "looking at the data together and proposing solutions," rather than passive protests of "doubting the government's announcement because of its low credibility.
• The same mechanism is being extended to water quality monitoring (WaterBox), and the trend of distributing sensors, disclosing data, and solving problems together is taking root.

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This page is auto-translated from /nishio/AirBox using DeepL. If you looks something interesting but the auto-translated English is not good enough to understand it, feel free to let me know at @nishio_en. I'm very happy to spread my thought to non-Japanese readers.