Melvin's In-Class Activity 1

By: Melvin He, Spring 2023

In-class Exercise: 30 minutes

Instructions:

1. Break down into groups (1 minute)

2. Your column is the technology you’re going to explore first.

3. Spend 8 minutes on your current activity

4. Rotate to the next activity (1 to the right in the chart below)

5. Spend 8 minutes on your next activity

6. Rotate to the next activity

7. Spend 8 minutes on your last activity

8. Spend any remain minutes discussing what you’ve learned.

Upload your screen captures and fill in this exit ticket after today’s class: https://forms.gle/vv78gxdbJE2vM935A

Group Breakdown:

The purpose of splitting up into groups is so that you can help each other by collaborating as well as staying as efficient as possible. Help your group if they have technical issues or if they need to borrow your VR Headset while theirs loads on a particular task.

Please discuss discussion questions with your group members!

Hardware: Camilo, Yuanbo, Brian, Dave

• Papayaw, Vishaka, Eunjin, Mia

VideoVR: Vincent, Ashley, Yifei, Lexi

• Connor, Jose, Sophia

VR Software: Liza, Mohammed, Austin

• Colby, Aarav, Feiyue

Exploring Air Pollution Hardware & Data Collection

Educate yourself on ongoing Brown research organizations on Air Pollution Hardware Data Collection (3 minutes):

Breathe Providence is a community-focused network of low-cost air monitors in Providence, Rhode Island. The monitors continuously measure concentrations of carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO2), nitrogen oxides (NOx), ozone (O3), and particulate matter (PM), alongside meteorological conditions.

More info about Breathe Providence:

• The organization is led by Professor Meredith Hastings, the Deputy Director of the Institute at Brown for Environment and Society, Professor of Environment and Society and Earth, Environmental, and Planetary Sciences.

• Breathe Providence is funded by the Clean Air Fund.

Articles you may want to check out in your free time:

• https://ibes.brown.edu/news/2022-09-09/breatheprov

• https://www.browndailyherald.com/article/2022/11/brown-study-breathe-providence-monitors-local-air-quality

More info about Breathe Providence:

• The organization is led by Professor Meredith Hastings, the Deputy Director of the Institute at Brown for Environment and Society, Professor of Environment and Society and Earth, Environmental, and Planetary Sciences.

• Breathe Providence is funded by the Clean Air Fund.

Articles you may want to check out in your free time:

• https://ibes.brown.edu/news/2022-09-09/breatheprov

• https://www.browndailyherald.com/article/2022/11/brown-study-breathe-providence-monitors-local-air-quality

Breathe Providence uses sensor nodes from the Berkeley Environmental Air-quality and CO2 Network (BEACO2N) project at the University of California, Berkeley. The nodes require power (110V) and can be equipped to use wireless internet or cellular networks. We mount them either on permanent rooftop railings or on freestanding tripods at our sites. By deploying these sensors, we also hope to advance the science of lower-cost air quality monitoring and data interpretation.

VR Software for Creating Immersive Data VR Visuals

Ambee is an environmental intelligence platform that provides real-time hyperlocal air quality, weather, and pollen data through its API and dashboard. It uses a combination of data from various sources, including government agencies, ground-based sensors, and satellite imagery, to provide accurate and up-to-date information on air quality and other environmental factors. Ambee’s data can be used by businesses, governments, and individuals to make informed decisions and take actions to improve the health and well-being of people and the planet. The following real-time air pollution data is parsed

Disclaimer:

The Data visuals only consist of 1500+ cities rather than 10,000 since the Ambee free version only allows a certain amount of calls to their API. Data collected through Postman API calls to the Ambee dataset also takes considerable time.

The dataset I parsed took a considerable amount of time but include real-time data on CO, NO2, OZONE, PM10, PM25, SO2, AQI, etc:

Explore the following Data Visualizations of Real-Time Immersive Air Quality VR Displays. Take 2 screenshots of your favorite displays or anything you find intersting.
Discuss with your group on the pros and cons of different displays as well as (6 minutes).

VR Immersive Pollution Data Visualizations:

World Map (Air Quality Index):

https://app.flow.gl/flow/en0fhnw

World Lollipop Map of AQI:

https://app.flow.gl/flow/lenvvy34

Circular Categorization of CO by Country:

https://app.flow.gl/flow/lenwestv

Circular Categorizations of PM25 by Country:

https://app.flow.gl/flow/lenw9fa1

PM10xPM25xAQI data plot:

https://app.flow.gl/flow/lenwoi7y