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Smart City Bonn

Build your own sensors and measure particulate matter

The "Digital City" team at the Office for Economic Development worked together with the Citizen Participation Unit and 20 children and young people from Bonn's Nordstadt district to build particulate matter sensors.

The aim of the workshop is to generate enthusiasm for digitalization and technology, to apply them in practice and to use the data to get a feel for the issue of particulate matter. The workshop took place as part of the "Bönnsche Viertel" project. The goal: clean air and a healthy life for the people of Bonn.


What's the deal with particulate matter?

At the beginning of the workshop, the topic of particulate matter was discussed: What is particulate matter? Which emitters are there? Is particulate matter harmful? How is particulate matter related to the "Bönnsche Viertel"? Afterwards, all participants built their own sensor and learned how to measure particulate matter themselves. Of course, the gray housings of the sensors were embellished at the end according to individual preferences.

At the end of the workshop, the children and young people went home with their self-built particulate matter sensors and a pizza.

Building instructions

Would you like to replicate the sensor at home? No problem! You can find instructions with a shopping list and the complete instructions here. Have fun!