Personal pollution monitoring: mobile real-time air quality in daily life

Researchers have learned much about the health impacts of air pollution, but it remains a challenge to provide people information for making healthy choices. The CitiSense air quality sensor and system enable individuals to identify when and where they are exposed to poor air in real time. We present a qualitative analysis of a 4-week field study of 29 commuters using CitiSense. We focus on how they reasoned about, acted on, and shared the new information. We found that CitiSense’s mobile monitoring and real-time displays provided a bridge between sensing and understanding, as well as shifting how users reasoned about their world, how they assessed their personal choices, and how they impacted and connected with their communities. In a sub-study of 13 participants with public displays at their workplace, we found evidence that the displays helped non-sensor wearers engage with the data and contributed to feelings of community.

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