OdourCollect App
OdourCollect is the open App to report odour observations. Have you perceived nice or bad smells in your neighbourhood? Are you affected by odour pollution? We have the best sensor to identify and measure odours, our sense of smell! Use the power of your nose: Smell and share! OdourCollect is a free App that any citizen can use to report odours. It can be used as a citizen science experiment to build odour maps collaboratively based on odour observations, anywhere, anytime. Feel free to map any odour that you perceive, either nice or foul! The app can also be used to report bad odours in affected communities by odour nuisance with the aim of co-creating solutions with all the stakeholders involved (citizens, industries, local authorities, citizen scientists and odour experts) to improve the quality of life of a community. Frequent exposure to annoying odours can cause headache, stress, anxiety, lack of concentration, insomnia or even increase respiratory problems. Even though ambient odours are the second cause of environmental complaints after noise worldwide, in many places there is no specific regulation to control the problem, meaning that there is no legal framework to protect citizens! OdourCollect is a tool to empower communities affected by odour nuisance, reporting it to the world! The odour observations will be validated by citizen science and odour experts to gather data in a particular area where a community is suffering from the problem with the aim of co-designing local solutions with the relevant stakeholders. Thanks for participating in this citizen science experiment, helping us to build up collaborative odour maps! OdourCollect is inspired by a standardized European methodology to evaluate odour episodes through trained citizens' observations: the German standard VDI 3940:2006 (Measurement of odour impact by field inspection. Measurement of the impact frequency of recognizable odours - Grid measurement), which has become in the European standard CEN 16841. Although the standard defines a strict methodology to measure odours (odour observations are to be gathered during a certain time - typically one year - in a specific area and are performed by certified standard human “noses” or observers), OdourCollect adapts the methodology to gather real-time data on odour perception anywhere, anytime, by any citizen. Our methodology is under validation in 10 pilot projects all around the globe, and we aim to develop a new standard to be replicated worldwide. OdourCollect is an idea of Science for Change. This app has been developed thanks to the D-NOSES Project (Distributed Network for Odour Sensing, Empowerment and Sustainability). You can download the app for free on the Google Play Store or the iOS App Store, or use the web-based version under https://odourcollect.eu. The App is available in English, Spanish, Catalan, Portuguese, German, Italian and Greek.
Publish information
| Publisher: | Science for Change |
| Year of publication: | 2018 |
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