Funders:

• Citizen Science Grants – Round 2 grant recipients

Collaborators:

• Prof John Wakerman, Menzies School of Health Research
• Dr Supriya Mathew, Menzies School of Health Research
• Dr Lisa Stefanoff, Menzies School of Health Research 
• Michael Klerck, Research Hub, Tangentyere Council Aboriginal Corporation
• Vanessa Davis, Research Hub, Tangentyere Council Aboriginal Corporation
• A Prof Melissa Hart, ARC Centre of Excellence for Climate Extremes (CLEX), UNSW Sydney
• Dr Negin Nazarian, UNSW Sydney, Built Environment, ARC Centre of Excellence for Climate Extremes, City Futures Research Centre and Climate-Resilient Cities (CRC) research lab
• Dr Angela Maharaj, Climate Change Research Centre, UNSW Sydney
• Dr Grant Williamson, University of Tasmania
• Dr Matt Brearley, Thermal Hyperformance 
• AirRater
• Alice Springs Town Council
• Arid Lands Environment Centre
• Incite Arts
• Group Training NT Group
• Northern Territory Department of Health
• CE4HEAL (Clean Energy for Healthy Environments and Lives)

Summary:

The project aims to crowdsource air quality and temperature data to facilitate a sustainable environmental health response in Alice Springs, a remote central Australian town with a resident population of 24,000. More than 25 percent of the population are Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander.

Alice Springs experiences approximately 50 days per year with temperatures greater than 40°C. Climatic changes will worsen these conditions, placing greater strain on the outdoor life of residents and visitors, including about 300,000 tourists per year.

Air quality is compromised by desert dust, wood fire and bush fires. Alice Springs has one weather station which is 10 km from the town centre and there are no air quality monitoring stations.

This project will actively involve local residents in monitoring ambient temperature and air quality and in feeding back strategies for an environmental health response system. Local residents will collect data using wearable sensors.

The results of this project have the potential to be transferred to the residents of arid, remote Australia, a population larger than that of the ACT or of Tasmania, spread over 80 percent of the continent.

Chief Investigator:

• Supriya Mathew

Project Coordinator:

• Dr Lisa Stefanoff

Project dates:

• 30/06/21-31/03/24

Information for study participants:

Alice Springs residents will be invited to participate in this project as citizen scientists. Volunteering residents will contribute to the environmental data collection by wearing key ring sized sensors that will monitor temperature and air quality. Residents will also have the opportunity to provide feedback on any environmental-health related impacts and suggest strategies to reduce current and future impacts in Alice Springs.