D-Noses is an EU funded Horizon 2020 project aimed at developing and testing new ways of tackling odour pollution. The traditional ways of measuring odour are expensive and time consuming and perhaps most importantly do not measure the impact that odour emissions have on those living nearby. This project will use citizen science to monitor odours, following an 8-step engagement process with communities, industries and regulators. The citizen science approach will be piloted in 10 locations across Europe and beyond using free data collection tools.
Our Role
One of the roles of Mapping for Change is to identify and co-create a UK pilot to test the citizen science approach. MfC selected Southall and Hayes, west London. This is an area of rapid development where residential and industrial overlap and where residents have been complaining of bad odours for years. Odours are thought to be being emitted from the two asphalt plants and also from the redevelopment of a former gasworks site which required soil remediation.
After years of odour issues, local tensions were high and trust had broken down between the various parties. This pilot offered theopportunity to open up the discussions and begin to collect evidence to build a clearer picture. We introduced a free app – OdourCollect, developed within the project, to allow citizens to record their odour observations. Working with a campaign group (CASH) and residents of Southall and Hayes along with Ealing Council, Berkeley Group, Tarmac Ltd and FM Conway, MfC co-designed a citizen science project to understand the problem, frame the issue, collect, analyse and visualise the data (odour reports) and discuss potential future action with all stakeholders in a transparent and equitable manner.
For more information you can read the Tackling Odour Issues Case Study.
Related Projects
Breathe Clean - Citizen Science in Tower Hamlets
Breathe Clean will be providing Tower Hamlets residents with the materials & training needed to monitor nitrogen dioxide levels around the places that matter to them. Participants will measure the air quality at a number of locations over a period of six months, to get a more granular picture of the situation in the borough. The data from the Breathe Clean project will be made available on Mapping for Change’s community maps webpage.
CIVACT - Promoting civic engagement among youth through district development
CIVACT is a EU-funded, two-year project which aims to address the lack of civic engagement among hard-to-reach youths in urban areas. The goal is to understand how can we empower young people to become the driving force for change through observing and analysing their neighbourhood’s resources and challenges.
Mapping the Pathway to Equalities
There are around 30,000 Gypsies and Travellers in London. Their culture and traditions have developed through a nomadic way of life over centuries. However, across the country the community face an uncertain future. With some of the poorest social outcomes of any group in Britain the burgeoning cuts to public services will have a disproportionate effect on the community.