BRIEF: Explore ways to engage the public in air pollution, drawing a relationship between the data that outlines the issue and the public. You may produce a data visualisation as the outcome, or interrogate and visualise data to inform your communications.
For this project, we are working with an external partner, Rosie Riley from Imperial College London. We are helping her with an air pollution project. In her lecture, she said the point of her research is to make the air cleaner. She also briefly discussed what she thinks the issues are in relation to why people don't do enough to minimise their own air pollution.
Some interesting points she brought up:
Our behaviours contribute to pollution.
How can we encourage people to change their behaviour?
Current systems which expose air pollution just show numbers. They do not provide any advice or actionable information.
Apps are so information heavy, what does it mean to anyone?
Some interesting facts and figures:
25% of pollution comes from woodsmoke, fires, canal boats and heating homes.
40% of pollution are a result of diesel cars.
The rest are comprised from industry buildings and ambient pollution which is blown from other areas, across the English Chanel for example.
Questions raised at the end of the session:
What do you think is the most appropriate way to engage people about these issues?
I like to engage with global issues through reading. Whether it's a news article or reading facts and figures about the issue. The points Rosie has brought up include: "hard facts fail to engage us" and "information is insufficiently engaging". I must consider ways that will engage people on the issues of air pollution, whether it's through a digital interface or physical artefacts.
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