{"673070":{"#nid":"673070","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Researchers Earn $1.8M to Increase Air Pollution Data Literacy","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Tech researchers Jessica Roberts, Alex Endert, and Jayma Koval earned a $1.8 million grant from the National Science Foundation to boost their efforts in promoting air pollution data literacy among middle school students and the public.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe grant will fund the researchers\u2019 top two projects \u2014 designing and installing a public information kiosk and organizing a summer camp that uses environmental data to teach data literacy to middle schoolers.\u202f\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAir Quality Index (AQI) data that is readily available helps people decide whether it\u2019s safe for a morning jog or to send their kids outside to play. However, the researchers want to help people understand the big picture.\u202f\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThe AQI is good for helping make just-in-time decisions,\u201d said Roberts, an assistant professor in the School of Interactive Computing who researches how technology influences social learning experiences.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u201cIt doesn\u2019t help us think about what\u2019s causing all this. \u2018How can I allocate my resources toward pollution mitigation efforts? What should I do as far as where I live and the situation around me?\u2019\u201d\u202f\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Ch4\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EData visualization provides perspective\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/h4\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ERoberts said most people know enough about AQI that they understand safe and dangerous levels, which helps them in the present. However, environmental and air quality data that provides insight into long-term trends and solutions tends to be more complex.\u202f\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThere are a lot of questions about how to get from this AQI value \u2014 this little number on your phone \u2014 to all the complex online data repositories that are available,\u201d she said. \u201cAir quality sensors spit out data all the time, but people don\u2019t know how to access them. There\u2019s nothing that bridges this simple number with these complex numbers.\u201d\u202f\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ETo solve this problem, Roberts approached Endert, an associate professor in the School of Interactive Computing and faculty member of the Institute for People and Technology, who designs interactive visualization tools that make data more understandable.\u202f\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWhat excites me about this project is that it allows people to reason about their data through the visualization of air quality and places where they live and allows them to ask questions,\u201d Endert said. \u201c\u2018Why is it worse over here but not as bad where I live? What\u2019s causing that? Why is it bad this time of the year but better at other times?\u201d\u202f\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.cc.gatech.edu\/news\/researchers-earn-18m-increase-air-pollution-data-literacy\u0022\u003ERead more at cc.gatech.edu \u0026gt;\u0026gt;\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EAtlanta residents will soon have easy access to air pollution data that enables them to make data-driven decisions that positively impact their local environment.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Atlanta residents will soon have easy access to air pollution data that enables them to make data-driven decisions that positively impact their local environment. "}],"uid":"27513","created_gmt":"2024-02-20 15:36:46","changed_gmt":"2024-02-20 15:39:40","author":"Walter Rich","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2024-01-09T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2024-01-09T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"673145":{"id":"673145","type":"image","title":"Air Quality Index (AQI) data","body":"\u003Cp\u003EAir Quality Index (AQI) data\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","created":"1708443155","gmt_created":"2024-02-20 15:32:35","changed":"1708443155","gmt_changed":"2024-02-20 15:32:35","alt":"Air Quality Index (AQI) data","file":{"fid":"256503","name":"ContAQT_RosaTimeline_v1117.png","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2024\/02\/20\/ContAQT_RosaTimeline_v1117.png","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2024\/02\/20\/ContAQT_RosaTimeline_v1117.png","mime":"image\/png","size":213525,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2024\/02\/20\/ContAQT_RosaTimeline_v1117.png?itok=pRo6rsqx"}}},"media_ids":["673145"],"groups":[{"id":"69599","name":"IPaT"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"188084","name":"go-ipat"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}