End-users and new air-quality monitoring technologies

This thesis analyses the application of emerging air-quality monitoring practices in three cities: York (UK), Berlin (Germany) and Seoul (South Korea). Drawing upon primary interview data and extensive primary and secondary literature the research reviews air-quality monitoring in the three cities and identifies factors that shape the adoption of new air-quality monitoring practices. The analysis focuses upon the perceptions and roles of end-users of air quality data. The project develops an end-user stakeholder framework, which is used to classify and interpret the rationale behind end-users’ interpretations of emerging air-quality monitoring technologies. The findings show that new technologies diversify end-users’ involvement in air-quality monitoring, diverting from legislative compliance-monitoring to multi-functional societal practices.
The analysis reveals different interpretations of emerging monitoring technologies, that are shaped by the social-political contexts in which they are deployed and the complexity of air pollution management in cities. The research makes original contributions to interdisciplinary work analysing emerging low-cost air-quality sensors by developing a new analytical category, the end-user stakeholder, and establishing the needs of these end-users in relation to urban air-quality monitoring.