Citizen Sense have spent the last 6 months working on the AirKit project to iterate upon our existing citizen-sensing infrastructure. This has included updating the Dustbox sensor, adding additional guides and information to our logbooks, and further development of the Airsift platform and data stories. For the Dustbox, we have worked with low-cost and consumer available technologies along with our custom circuit boards, USB cables and 3D particle enclosures. From January 2020, we have been working with local community groups and Lewisham Council to install Dustboxes across Forest Hill as part of an air quality campaign.
The Dustbox 2.0 uses a Plantower PMS5003 particulate matter sensor that has laser counters to measure airborne particles. There is a small fan that draws air through the sensor and passes it through a laser that can detect the concentration and size of particles in the air. We have also added a temperature and humidity sensor. These data are captured every minute and sent to our server. The 3D-printed enclosure for the Dustbox has been updated and re-worked with the addition of an LED and button. This version uses the original pollen shape, but we will soon publish an additional design based on diesel char that is currently in production.
We are looking forward to installing more Dustboxes and analyzing data over the coming months. The new enclosure design makes the Dustbox easier to install in multiple urban furniture situations.
