Inspiration

For this project, city residents use a sensor to measure particulate matter concentrations in the air themselves.

There is a lot of intensive livestock farming in the rural municipality of Venray. Residents and a number of farmers joined forces to measure fine dust, nitrogen dioxide and ammonia in the vicinity of the stables. What's special about this project? All those involved (including the “polluters”) are collaborating, under the guidance of the RIVM.

On May 17, 2019, 30 cyclists literally kicked off to measure the air quality on their bicycles. A measuring box with a sensor on each bicycle maps their route and measures the air quality along the way. In this project, RIVM indicates the real-time collected data. It is difficult to measure air quality accurately with small sensors. That is why RIVM ensures continuous calibration of the sensors, so that the quality and reliability of the data is as good as possible.

The Smart City sensoring project of the municipality of Alkmaar has a Lora network available to everyone. Residents who want to measure in their own living environment can use this network to jointly devise, build and implement their ideas. They receive help from the Junior IOT foundation.

RIVM, in collaboration with the Safety Regions, will investigate the options offered by sensors in the event of fire or other incidents in which a lot of smoke is released.

Sensor.community is one of the largest and fastest growing citizen science communities. Before November 2019, Sensor.Community was known as Luftdaten. This international platform shows all kinds of measurements, for example particulate matter, noise and temperature. You can also find data from different communities.

Clean Air Arnhem is a project of the municipality of Arnhem. The project is being carried out by Natuur en Milieu Gelderland and Luchtwachters Arnhem. The project consists of setting up a citizen monitoring network for particulate matter, workshops on how best to light a wood stove, and a newsletter to inform people about all activities.

In 2020, nineteen volunteers committed themselves to monthly measurements of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) with Palmes tubes. In this way we learn more about air quality in more remote places and on the edges of the Netherlands, where few official measurements are taken.

At the end of December 2020, the Samen Meten Meierijstad (SMM) was founded. Six months later, their monitoring network already consists of more than 115 particulate matter sensor kits. The monitoring network is a good example of local monitoring networks that are popping up more and more in the Netherlands.

Particulate matter and noise have been measured in the Municipality of Eersel for several years now. The residents have organized this together with the Municipality of Eersel and maintain contact through a sounding board group. The citizen measurement project fits in well with other initiatives in the region, such as the Sounding Board Group Eersel – Eindhoven Airport and the ILM2.0 in Eindhoven.

In the spring of 2021, GroenLinks Echt-Susteren started the citizens' initiative Together Meten Echt-Susteren.

For several years now, the province of South Holland has been helping citizens' initiatives to measure air quality themselves. It makes measuring equipment available and supports the measuring itself. The province is working together with the RIVM and the DCMR Rijnmond Environmental Service.

Interest in wood burning as a source of air pollution is increasing. This is also the case in the Measuring Together community. There are several citizen projects in which air quality measurements are linked to wood burning. Some are highlighted on this page.

Air quality is measured throughout Southeast Brabant using a regional monitoring network. The aim is to gain insight into the concentration and sources of air pollution and to promote clean air on that basis.

In this project, residents from all over the Northern Netherlands are building their own particulate matter meters in order to jointly investigate the air quality in the region.

Together we measure air quality in the agricultural region of Horst aan de Maas and Land van Cuijk.

In recent years, residents of Maastricht have taken nitrogen measurements. This citizen measurement project now continues with measurements for particulate matter. The residents use particulate matter sensors to measure the local concentration of PM2.5 and PM1. This makes the project a good example of an initiative for the Clean Air Agreement (SLA).

A citizen monitoring network for particulate matter is being set up in Lent by the Air Quality working group of the Lent district council.

The aim of the 'Hollandse Luchten' project is to set up the widest possible measuring network in North Holland using air quality sensors.

Organizing the delivery of goods in a sustainable way not only has a positive impact on air quality, but also on the liveability of city centers.

To get an idea of the current and expected air quality, you can look at model maps or real-time measurements.

In Flanders, you can use the air and noise calculation tool to easily identify bottlenecks related to air pollution or noise nuisance from traffic. You can also use this tool to estimate the impact of a possible measure.

In Flanders, the Flemish Environment Agency (VMM) has various infographics that provide a visual representation of the air quality problem in Flanders.

Electric vehicles do not emit any harmful substances and have a limited impact on local air quality.

If you replace the car with a bicycle for short distances, the air quality and your own health improve.

Slow roads are safe connections for cyclists and pedestrians. The development of a slow road network is reducing car use.

By purchasing an environmentally friendly car, you contribute to improving air quality.

In 2019, residents of the municipality of Sint-Anthonis started measuring particulate matter. They call themselves the Citizen Scientists of Land van Cuijk (BwLvC). With the support of local politicians, they have placed MySense measurement sets at 16 locations in the municipality.

If more people take public transport, there will be fewer cars driving around, improving air quality.