Air quality is a hugely complex issue. Meteorological, local, social conditions all affect the air we breath. Traffic, houses, factories pump out gases that combine to create toxic fumes and smog.
A broad network of monitoring stations generate an enormous amount of data. Too much data in fact. Scientists from the University of Bristol cannot keep up with the data produced and cannot apply local knowledge to interpret the results coming from those monitoring stations. Professor Dudley Shallcross and his team are looking for schools to help analyse local air quality data for them.
The Decipher my Data website will provide the data and tools for teachers to lead their students through the process of analysing the data and applying their understanding of chemistry and local geography.
The scientists will be online to answer questions and clarify methodologies. Schools will be expected to upload their results and hypotheses, and to review the work of other schools. The results are expected to feed into the overall air quality work of Professor Shallcross and his team at Bristol.