The nonprofit environmental justice organization HabitatMap launched in 2006, and is dedicated to creating online platforms that facilitate community awareness for improved quality of life.
HabitatMap's AirCasting is an open-source platform that uses wearable devices and digital media to monitor air quality, and tracks information of a local environment for others to see via the AirCasting mobile app or website. The AirCasting platform connects a series of wearable devices to a network, but HabitatMap has launched a Kickstarter campaign to manufacture their own palm-sized air quality monitor to work with AirCasting, called the AirBeam.
The AirBeam is special because it measures fine particulate matter (PM2.5), an air pollutant which the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency measurements indicate pose a significant health risk in cities across the country. Diesel trucks/cars, coal burning power plants, and various construction activities are among the sources of PM2.5, which can cause asthma attacks, cancer, and heart disease when the penetrate our lungs or even pass into our bloodstream.
The Kickstarter campaign has raised $17,168 thus far, but the project will only be funded if at least $50,000 is pledged by Nov. 19. Learn more about AirBeam and the Kickstarter campaign here >>
