Improving indoor air quality in schools

Indoor air quality (IAQ) problems in school environments are very common and have a significant impact on students' performance, development and health. Indoor air conditions depend on the ventilation practices adopted, which in southern European countries such as Portugal are essentially based on natural ventilation controlled by opening windows manually. 

Citizen science projects aimed at school communities are effective strategies for raising awareness and acquiring knowledge about IAQ and proper ventilation management. 

Our multidisciplinary research team has developed a system - SchoolAIR - based on low-cost sensors and a scalable IoT system architecture to support the improvement of IAQ in schools.

The SchoolAIR framework is based on do-it-yourself sensors that continuously monitor air temperature, relative humidity, carbon dioxide concentrations and suspended particles in school environments. 

The sensors are assembled by students from the schools involved, with the support of their teachers and the advice of the research team from the Faculty of Science and Technology at UFP. This simultaneously promotes the development of technical skills, raises awareness of the impact of the environment on health, and disseminates good practices not only within the school community, but also to families and the local community.

The proposed approach encourages the transfer of scientific knowledge from universities to society in a dynamic and active process of social responsibility based on a citizen science approach, promoting the scientific literacy of the younger generation and reinforcing healthier, more resilient and sustainable indoor environments.

Currently underway, the project is open to all schools wishing to take part.

Publications

SchoolAIR: A Citizen Science IoT Framework Using Low-Cost Sensing for Indoor Air Quality Management