24
BAMOS
Mar 2019
Workshop photos: Tobias and Small Multiples running human-centred design concept workshops with school students.
The collaborations Conclusion
One of the most encouraging aspects of embarking on a citizen
science project has been the enthusiasm and collaborative
attitude of a vast range of interested parties. Collaborations
thus far include diverse groups such as the scientific research
community, schools, the public and industry linkages. Similar networks have been implemented in other countries
(e.g. Birmingham UK, Victoria BC Canada), however, a point of
difference for SWAQ is the provision of a large network of higher
quality research-grade sensors in order to optimise the use of
data for high quality discovery and applied research. We hope
that SWAQ Sydney provides a successful pilot scheme and that
we are able to expand the network to other major capital and
regional cities around Australia.
After a comprehensive and exhaustive review of environmental
monitoring companies, SWAQ has partnered with Vaisala for
the development of the monitoring network. Vaisala’s Head of
Air Quality, John Liljelund, travelled from Finland for a face-to-
face meeting with the SWAQ team to finalise the partnership
and issued the following statement:
“We are proud and excited to participate in this
educational project that we believe will be a great
example for any school anywhere in the world on how
to develop their science education partnering with a
company with deep roots in innovation and research.”
The aforementioned NSW Smart Sensing Network (NSSN) are
collaborating on sensor evaluation and CSIRO’s SMOG will be
used in the outreach component.
SWAQ have also been fortunate to have design consultancy
company, Tobias and Data visualisation specialists, Small
Multiples, join the team to develop effective data visualisations
for our intended audience (school students and the public).
Tobias was instrumental in the planning and running of the
aforementioned design workshops with high school students
which will help inform the design and functionality of the full
website.
References
Di Virgilio, G., Hart M.A. and Jiang N., 2018. Meteorological
controls on atmospheric particulate pollution during hazard
reduction burns. Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, 18, 6585–
6599. doi:10.5194/acp-18-6585-2018
Greater Sydney Commission, 2018, Greater Sydney Region
Plan: A metropolis of three cities. https://gsc-public-1.s3-
ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/greater-sydney-region-
plan-0618.pdf
Hart M. and Sailor D.J., 2009. Quantifying the influence of land-
use and surface characteristics on spatial variability in the urban
heat island. Theoretical and Applied Climatology, 95: 397–406.
Krayenhoff E.S., Moustaoui M., Broadbent A.M., Gupta V.,
Georgescu M., 2018. Diurnal interaction between urban
expansion, climate change and adaptation in US cities. Nature
Climate Change, 8, 1097–1103.
Oke T., 2006. Initial guidance to obtain representative
meteorological observations at urban sites. Instruments and
Observing methods report no. 81. World Meteorological
Organization.
Thorpe A.L., and Hart M.A., 2013. Changing Climates, Changing
Cities? Planning Reform and Urban Sustainability in New South
Wales. The Australasian Journal of Natural Resources Law and
Policy, 16(2): 133–156.
Images provided by Melissa Hart.