As society becomes more interested in the environment and its effects on our health, organisations are coming up with creative ways for the public to collect and share data. Dmitry Morozov recently introduced us to the Digioxide, a device which analyses air pollution before printing the results and transforming them into digital artworks.

AirBeam is a new project that also focusses on measuring air pollution, this time allowing users to collect data before sharing it online. Created by non-profit environmental justice group HabitatMap, this hand-sized, wearable air monitor uses an LED light scattering effect to detect tiny particles (PM2.5) before measuring them to estimate their capacity. Every second, this information is sent to the users AirCasting app via Bluetooth where it is graphed and mapped. At the end of each session, data from each AirCaster is collected and then crowdsourced to produce heat maps, demonstrating where PM2.5 concentrations are highest and lowest.

AirBeam is available to buy on Kickstarter, raised funds will enable HabitatMap to run more programs within schools and communities. The organisation hopes to strengthen communication between activists and the general public alike, encouraging intelligent environmental choices to allow a healthier, more sustainable future.