Making good decisions is complex and needs to be based on solid data. Our cities are full of sensors, which are rightfully the subject of critical debate as sensing is often presumed to have bad intentions. However, this mostly negative debate around sensors for surveillance limits the visibility of positive types of sensing.
Environmental monitoring, for example, is an important tool to uncover exposure to various urban ills such as air pollution and heat stress. Equitable and accurate monitoring of environmental indicators can consequently inform both private and public action to improve the lives of urban populations.
But where are sensors located? What populations are currently ‘covered’ by these sensors? What potential biases do we have to consider when looking at the data?
As a Research Fellow focusing on geographic data science, Lukas works on these and other questions by mapping sensor locations, uncovering currently unmonitored ‘sensor deserts’, and investigating approaches to address existing data gaps in a reproducible and scalable way.
To overcome data gaps, he focuses on two main pathways:
- the optimization of stationary sensor coverage, for example, through redistribution and/or extension of existing sensor networks.
- the assessment and integration of additional data sources, such as mobile and remote sensing.
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