Science in the City Maps Dust Storm
On 18th June 2014 Louise posted in Events, Featured
As part of the Science in the City project, residents of the Barbican Estate in the City of London monitored their local air quality between October 2013 and May 2014. Since February, residents have been using handheld sensors to track the presence of PM2.5 particulates* whilst on their everyday journeys and have managed to capture the effects of the dust storm in their community.
Twenty-five Barbican residents took part, carrying the sensors for up to five days each and making eighty-seven journeys in total. Although Science in the City focuses on air quality around the Barbican Estate, residents carried the sensors as far as Darlington and Cambridge providing a wealth of information illustrating changes in air quality across the country as well as in the Barbican area.
Street Mobility Mapping Project
On 27th May 2014 Louise posted in Featured, News
Throughout March to June 2014 we have been working in the Woodberry Down area of north London, preparing the way for the first in a series of four community mapping projects exploring how busy roads impact on the daily lives of residents. The Woodberry Down Estate is dissected by the busy Seven Sisters Road, and the area is being transformed by a substantial private – public regeneration scheme that will include new blocks of privately and social housing units.
HackDay at Mozilla – Citizen Social Science
On 13th May 2014 Louise posted in Featured
At the end of March Mapping for Change were successful in having our challenge chosen for a “swarm” event around the theme of Citizen Social Science at the Mozilla hackspace in London. Ours was one of four challenges that were selected that had the potential to meet the aims of the event:
“To explore the potential of applying citizen science approaches to solving persistent social problems through rapid prototyping”
And have the potential to produce a prototype within a day!
Community Air Quality Mapping Funding Opportunity
On 13th March 2014 Louise posted in Archived
Mapping for Change now have £1,000 funding available to enable up to four communities to undertake Air Quality Mapping projects. Proposals are invited from communities across London. The funds will cover the cost of purchasing diffusion tubes to measure nitrogen dioxide (NO2), laboratory analysis, and map creation.
Citizen Science – What difference does it make?
On 27th February 2014 Louise posted in Featured, News
Whilst showing a resident how to use a particulate air quality monitor, he told me that he would “never walk in Beech Street Tunnel again”. This statement was based on his involvement in Science in the City, a citizen science project that we are currently running to support communities to measure and map air quality. Based on the data gathered by the local community, between October 2013 and February 2014, this particular resident decided that there are cleaner, ‘healthier‘ and less polluted routes he could take to and from his home. When we at Mapping for Change are asked what impact our work has, or how involving non-professional scientists in community based scientific research makes a difference – I guess here’s the answer! This chap might even live an extra few years – who knows!!
AirProbe International Challenge
On 22nd October 2013 Louise posted in Featured
The AirProbe International Challenge (APIC) is an international competition between citizens of four European cities: LONDON, ANTWERP, KASSEL and TURIN, who will compete to build the most complete map of air pollution for their city. People from each city can become Air Ambassadors, to measure the levels of air pollution with a custom built sensor box, or Air Guardians, to provide air pollution level estimations in various locations in the city.
The competition starts TODAY! Help London win the challenge by playing the online game http://www.everyaware.eu/APIC/
New Position Available at Mapping for Change
On 19th June 2013 Louise posted in Archived
We are pleased to be able to offer an opportunity to work with us as part of an Administrator (Scientific Manager) position working another three days with the Extreme Citizen Science (ExCiteS) group (UCL).
For more information click here
Mapping for Change wins UCL Social Enterprise Award
On 16th May 2013 Louise posted in Featured, News
Mapping for Change has won the 2013 UCL Social Enterprise Project of the Year Award for its’ innovative work using on-line mapping with local communities and on ‘citizen science’.
Mapping for Change to host Air Pollution conference in April
On 13th March 2013 Louise posted in Events, Featured
Concerned communities, and organisations that work with them, including councils, academics, and public health bodies are invited to a conference being run by Mapping for Change on the 17th April at UCL.
A Look at Housing and New Ways of Working in Udine
On 1st March 2013 Louise posted in Events, Featured
Late January saw members of the MfC team travel to Udine to participate in a series of seminars under the Active Citizenship in Social Housing (ACts) project, funded by the Grundtvig Life Long Learning Programme. Over the course of 3 days visits were made to communities in the area and a number of presentations covering a diverse range of perspectives were shared. Several interesting issues surrounding citizenship and social space were raised for discussion: