Who We Are
The Public Lab community is partnering with the following organizations:
What We Aim to Achieve
The project hopes to develop:
- a low-cost, DIY, open source water quality monitoring sensor
- an online ‘open data’ water quality repository
- two grassroots water quality workshops
- a summer program for local students
Why is it Important?
Today, portions of the watershed often fail to meet state bacteria standards for swimming and boating. Several organizations are engaged in water monitoring projects for the Mystic, but the high cost and ‘closed data’ nature of current technology severely limits the scope of current efforts, and makes data sharing difficult. Public Lab has extensive experience developing open platforms for low-cost aerial imagery, DIY spectroscopy, and infrared plant health analysis; by designing a low-cost, ‘open source’ water quality monitor that is easy to build and maintain, PublicLab will greatly expand the scope of current monitoring efforts, and enable communities to develop their own grassroots monitoring networks. Full project information can be found here.
The project leader is currently looking for volunteers to assist on the ground, and help with conducting water monitoring, workshop facilitation, or building of sensors. If you are in Somerville, New Hampshire, Amherst or New Orleans, sign up and participate in events being organized.
What Have We Achieved So Far?
The project has successfully raised $1056 to deploy sensors and train volunteers.
