Mysense: citizens measure in agricultural areas

Introduction

The local associations Behoud de Parel from Grubbenvorst and the foundation BurgerWetenschappers Land van Cuijk have been measuring air quality for several years under the name MySense. They do this in collaboration with, among others, the RIVM since several large-scale agricultural companies have established themselves in the area. They designed the measuring kits themselves, as well as the software for analysis and processing of the measurement results. This makes the data visible 24/7 on, among others, the data portal of the RIVM. Measuring for the sake of measuring, that is not what they do at MySense: with their analyses they are committed to a good local balance between animals, people and the environment.

Smelly sheets

'Our story goes back more than 10 years,' says Teus. 'We got wind of plans for a large-scale livestock industry in our village. We're talking about 1.5 million chickens and 50,000 pigs per building. In the early days, our action group was mainly concerned with lawsuits against environmental permits. When we noticed that the pig and chicken farms were only working on solutions to keep emissions just within the permitted standards, we wanted to know what the exact level of exposure was for the residents.'

Teus passionately explains that it is an expensive matter to measure gases such as ammonia, nitrogen and ozone. As a citizen movement, that is impossible to oversee. Moreover, it turns out that odour is difficult to record objectively. While one resident may find the odour nuisance to be quite bearable ('for economic reasons', according to Teus), the neighbour hangs his sheets outside to dry and takes the stench to bed with him at night.

'When fine dust sensors came onto the market, we investigated which devices were suitable. Together with the RIVM, we placed our devices on the national measuring stations, so that we can compare and correct. People do not always realise how great the risk of errors remains if you do not constantly scrutinise the statistical models.'

Stronger together

What about the number of members? 'You always have a core', says Teus, 'but you need more than a pilot light. Someone joins regularly, but most of them quickly drop out. In my opinion, you have a survival period of 3 years within citizen science. We have quite a lot in our backpack in terms of development knowledge and experience. That is why we like to keep in touch with other initiatives. We are talking about the measurement kits, but also about data processing: we work with slightly more expensive equipment and a PC that runs 24 hours a day. You notice that it takes a lot to keep all the balls in the air.'

Within MySense, there are specialists in electronics and someone who is strong in 3D printing. Teus is the man for data processing and transfer. It is clear that he has a vision. 'What I dream of is an exchange of data and software. I come from the open source world. Google emerged from that. In that world, there is room to brainstorm in youth hostels or hotels. You have to organize the creativity, and that feeling is lacking in the government.'

Chickenster

Over the years, the lawsuits made way for measurement projects, such as the one at the Kipster poultry farm in Venray. 'When we heard a few years ago that a large-scale open-laying farm was starting up in our municipality, we were there with a few members of Behoud de Parel at the opening reception. We had a chat with the CEO and soon discovered that it is incredibly important for them to start working in an animal-friendly way. There was a lot of interaction with animal welfare groups, but not with the local residents.'

'We were then allowed to perform monthly measurements around the stables with a fine dust meter from the US. As a result, Kipster expanded the filter installation by no less than 33%. Quite a success, right? To achieve even better results, we wanted to install a permanent measuring system with 6 sensors around the stables, 2 devices inside and another one about 300 meters from the company. At first, Kipster was going to pay part of the costs themselves, but when it turned out that we needed extra solar cells to power our devices, they pulled out. The project was ultimately financed by WUR Livestock and Fontys University of Applied Sciences . By the way, the meters are currently out of order due to bird flu, so there you have it again (laughs).'

Watch and learn: tips and experiences from MySense

1. Keep your end goal in mind: 'Don't get lost in the measurements themselves. They are important, but ultimately a means to achieve your goal. In our case, a nice balance between the companies, the environment and the residents'
2. Provide funding: 'Measuring costs money. Provide subsidies, work together with colleges and local governments. You can't pull off projects like this with volunteers alone.'
3. Exchange your knowledge: 'It's great that you build up a lot of baggage, but you become stronger by building a network of knowledge and a network of data. So seek contact with other measurement projects.