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Abstract:

Participatory sensing enables a person-centric collection of environmental measurement data with, in principle, high granularity in space and time. In this paper we provide concrete proof that participatory techniques, when implemented properly, can achieve the same accuracy as standard mapping techniques. We do this through a citizen science experiment for noise map- ping a 1 km$^{2}$ area in the city of Antwerp using NoiseTube, a participatory sensing framework for monitoring ambient noise. At the technical side, we set up measuring equipment in accordance with official norms insofar as they apply, also carrying out extensive calibration experiments. At the citizen side, we collaborated with up to 10 volunteers from a citizen-led Antwerp-based action group. From the data gathered we construct purely measurement-based noise maps of the target area with error margins of about 5dB, comparable to those of official simulation-based noise maps. We also report on a survey evaluating NoiseTube, as a system for participative grassroots noise mapping campaigns, from the user perspective.

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<ce:title>Special issue on Pervasive Urban Applications</ce:title>