The poor air quality in Beijing, China is getting worse. Recently a hospital in southwest China opened a clinic for people who are having health issues related to smog. The smog levels are rising, and recently the Chinese government officials recently asked other foreign embassies to not measure and make public the air quality in Beijing.
In order to help Chinese citizens monitor their local air and environment, a team of graduate students have created a project created FLOAT Beijing. The project combines the local tradition of kite-flying, activism, and science. For the project, a kite is equipped with air quality sensors that allows citizens to actively monitor their local air environment.
This past August, there were a series of workshops in Beijing that helped instruct participants in how to build and fly their own air-sensing kites using simple materials and open-source technology. The goal of the project is to empower citizens with information and the ability to access air quality information.
The kites have LED lights that are programmed to light up with different colors in order to show the best and worst air quality. Green indicates the best air, and pink shows the worst. The information is mapped using geolocation technology, and the data is collected and made public.
Images and Links:
FLOAT – Workshop in Action Video