SOCIO-BEE: A Next-Generation Citizen Science Platform for Citizens' Engagement to Air Pollution Measuring

Air-pollution is a significant threat to both public health and the environment. COVID-19's lockdown policies have highlighted the potential for policy measures and human actions to reduce emissions. However, there are barriers to collaboration between citizens and the private sector in supporting pro-environmental transitions. Misconceptions and cognitive myopia hinder efforts to reduce air pollution in cities, but community engagement and social innovation can bridge this gap. The SOCIO-BEE platform is a novel Citizen Science(CS) platform for public engagement via wearable modules for air-quality observation. It provides an affordable, accessible and open wearable with a low-cost ICT-based solution, combining trusted service modules for co-creation activities and micro-volunteering crowdsourcing tools. The platform integrates all the necessary support technologies and continuous engagement strategies to motivate active citizen groups that can co-create, execute and exploit effective, city-scale air pollution monitoring campaigns and drive behavioral change among citizens to reduce air pollution.