Measuring together Real-Susteren
You tackle the following challenges:
Short content
What: Measuring air quality
Where : Echt-Susteren
Registration: if you live in Echt-Susteren, you can register on the website of Samen Meten Echt-Susteren
General information
In the spring of 2021, GroenLinks Echt-Susteren started the citizens' initiative Together Meten Echt-Susteren. A few enthusiasts then set up the Samen Meten Echt-Susteren association and looked for the best place to buy the parts for the measuring device. After that, interested parties could buy a particulate matter meter for 50 euros. About 60 residents were immediately interested in installing a measuring box to measure particulate matter. The first measuring box was festively handed over on 4 September 2021. One by one, there are more and more measuring boxes. On 1 November, eighteen boxes were already online on the Measuring Together data portal.
The air quality in Echt-Susteren
The widening of the A2, the expansion of VDL Nedcar and the increasing freight traffic have an effect on the amount of particulate matter and therefore on health. But how big is this effect? GroenLinks Echt-Susteren considers it important that this is measured and initiated a citizen monitoring network. There is now a separate association for Together Meten Echt-Susteren. There is no political affiliation with GroenLinks. Everyone in Echt-Susteren can participate regardless of political affiliation.
Citizen monitoring network particulate matter
Fine dust can be measured by every inhabitant of Echt-Susteren with a small box that is connected to a socket and connected to the internet via WiFi. Together Meten Echt-Susteren offers residents the opportunity to buy such a particulate matter meter. Collecting data through citizen science is already being used in many municipalities in South Limburg. Echt-Susteren was still blank on the Measure Together map of the RIVM, but that is now changing quickly.
Sensirion SPS30
The board and the working group have opted for the Sensor.Community method to measure particulate matter. They use this to measure PM 2.5, or particulate matter smaller than 0.0025 millimeters or 2.5 micrometers. For the technically interested: the microcontroller with WiFi ESP8266 and the fine dust sensor Sensirion SPS30 has been chosen. This sensor is being used more and more because it gives good PM 2.5 readings and is almost not sensitive to moisture in the air. You cannot properly measure the coarser fraction of PM 10 particulate matter with this sensor. There is also an HTU21 sensor in the measuring box to measure temperature and humidity.
The role of Measuring Together RIVM
As with, for example, Samen Meten Meierijstad , RIVM's Samen Meten has no direct involvement in Samen Meten Echt-Susteren. However, the citizen monitoring network does build on the Meten Together infrastructure and you can view the measurements properly on the Meten Together data portal .
