Loop Labs is a non-profit organisation founded by Nicky Gavron
in 2013 with the objective of solving urban challenges with the
power of communities.
Nicky is the former Deputy Mayor of London, a London-wide
Assembly Member and Chair of its Planning Committee.
Leading Londons response to climate change, she introduced
policies and programmes to reduce C02 emissions across energy,
water, waste and transport. Her initiatives include establishing
the London Climate Change Agency and the C40: CITIES Climate
Leadership Group.
Increasing urbanisation creates new challenges for cities like
London. From transportation and safety to resource management and
air quality these challenges aect the lives of everyday citizens.
Nicky started Loop Labs to provide Londoners with a greater sense
of agency in the design, policy making and management of their
city.
Working with digital strategist, Katz Kiely, early in 2014 Loop
Labs designed and developed Walk the Talk in partnership with Intel
and with funding from the Technology Strategy Board. The project
inspired children to design a video game that encouraged a greater
awareness of the benefits of walking. This was used together with a
mobile tracking app that enabled young players to monitor their
families walking.
In 2015 Loop Labs is working with educational theorist, Graham
Brown-Martin, who designed the Urban Citizen Science Programme
funded by Lambeth Council. The programme is deploying more than 30
air quality sensors and 100 activity trackers amongst homes and
families in the London Borough of Lambeth. These devices are being
used as part of an ongoing awareness and behavioural
LOOP LABSURBAN CITIZEN SCIENCE PROGRAMME
The AQ sensors and trackers are for the children and their
family to keep after use but first they are taken home and the
sensors connected to the internet so that they can provide a
constant stream of data relating to the air quality around the
childs home. The activity trackers are worn by the parents and
report daily walking and other health related data directly to the
wearers smart phone and the internet. This data is collected daily
by the child who can also review it at school over the
internet.
Flipping the science lab from the classroom to the home using
the Internet of Things means that the children can conduct
experiments out of the classroom but can also discuss their
findings with their classmates during school time.
By involving parents and carers in the investigation the
programme catalyses a conversation and awareness at home as well as
in school where the children and their parents are co-learners
about air quality. The activity trackers provide an opportunity for
the children and the wearers to understand the link between
physical activity, well-being and air quality where they discover
the benefits of walking over driving, especially for short
journeys.
After 4 weeks of experimentation and investigation the children
and parents host a community evening where members of the wider
community are
invited to participate in an evening of citizen science. Here
the children recruit new community members willing to participate
in the investigation using the sensors and tracking devices.
The result is that the community becomes more aware of the
issues around air quality and walking whilst they own the data and
information they are creating and sharing. By installing a
significant number of AQ sensors
citizens are able to have meaningful conversations about air
quality in the area and consider ways for improvement.
As with other social aspects of the Internet this programme
becomes ever more useful the more people who participate. As more
AQ sensors are deployed over time the granularity of information
improves to a point where identifying AQ trouble spots or cleaner
air routes for walking become possible.
We wonder if this understanding will inform future behaviour and
decision making at the community level as well as a greater
understanding and
engagement with policy making. Here at Loop Labs, we certainly
hope so!
Case studyOur programme begins in primary schools with groups of
children aged 9-11 years who are invited to participate as citizen
scientists recruited to assist a mysterious professor after his
grown-up scientists have gone on strike. An initial recruitment
meeting is called with the children and their parents/carers where
they are issued with their citizen scientist lab coats, air quality
sensors and activity
Air quality is a significant problem in urban cities where over
8% of deaths in London for the over-25s are linked. Poor air
quality is shown to have a permanent effect on the development of
childrens lungs and is responsible for thousands of premature
births.
www.looplabs.org