Crowdsourcing environmental protection

Tapping into the crowd, be it for renting something from the shared economy, plugging into a collective intelligence or raising finance for your project, is arguably the key trend of 2013 thus far.

So it’s interesting to see a new project emerging on Kickstarter that is looking to crowdsource the process of monitoring our environment.  The project, called the Smart Citizen Kit, aims to build a global network of sensors that will report back on local environmental conditions.  They’re looking to build up a knowledge base of things such as CO and NO2 levels, or what our light and noise pollution is like.

It’s a Spanish project emerging from the Institute for Advanced Architecture in Catolonia.  Users will be given a piece of hardware to do the monitoring, with the data then visualised and made available online and via a mobile app.  It’s hoped that users will begin to share their data and compare what is in their own neighbourhood with how other regions score.

smartcitizenkit

The project requires $50,000 to get off the ground, and a pledge of $155 will secure you your pre-assembled kit.  If you’re more of a DIY kinda person, you can get an unassembled kit for a pledge of $105.

The Smart Citizen Kit is currently raising funds on Kickstarter, where you can get your hands on a pre-assembled kit for a pledge of $155. DIYers can choose the unassembled kit instead for $105. Check out the video below to learn more about the campaign or visit their live beta site here:

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2 thoughts on “Crowdsourcing environmental protection

  1. Really great project! Good to see them go viral worldwide. This project shows that the power is with the crowd making this project successful. A lot of backers from around the world want to get their hands on one or more Smart Citizen kits. I have done the same!

    It will change the way we look at our environment we live in worldwide. This is a project with a lot of potential that is unleashed in the coming months. It only needs your support. So be a backer to before it's all sold out:
    http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/acrobotic/the

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