Hollandse Luchten receives an honourable mention in the European Union Prize for Citizen Science 2025! This prestigious prize is awarded annually to the most outstanding citizen science initiatives for their social and political impact on the development of a diverse, inclusive and sustainable society in Europe.
In Hollandse Luchten, residents, governments, and experts are researching air quality together. Through citizen science, they are collaboratively working towards a healthy living environment. We are proud that the power of this collaboration is also recognised in Europe.
About Hollandse Luchten
In Hollandse Luchten residents investigate air quality themselves with citizen science sensors. By formulating their own measurement questions, they investigate, for example, emissions from the Tata Steel factory, the spread of wood smoke or the effects of a busy road. Using the data, they engage with the municipality, the province, health experts and data analysts about air quality.
In 2018, the pilot started in IJmond, Zaandam and Amsterdam-Noord. Since then, Hollandse Luchten has developed into a broad platform with measurement groups in IJmond, Zaandam, Haarlem and the Gooi- en Vechtstreek.
Technology
For the pilot, Waag specially developed the HoLu sensor kit, which residents could build themselves during workshops. Via the Hollandse Luchten map, the sensor data is made public and easy to analyse. Also new ways of measuring are explored, such as sensors that measure wood smoke (developed by TNO) and measuring with plane bark (with Urgenda). Residents from the Hollandse Luchten measurement group IJmond also contributed to the design of the Automatic Suspicious Cloud Recognition.
Next steps
In the coming years, Waag and partners in Hollandse Luchten will work to improve the connection between citizen science and policy. Earlier, for example, residents were involved in an evaluation of the provincial Air Monitoring Network. In this evaluation, residents had a say in how the measurement network will be deployed in the coming years.
"A fundamental part of citizen sensing is action perspective. This often involves thinking about what residents can do. But action perspective is also needed for policymakers: what can they do with citizen sensing research? For example, harnessing the local knowledge network they are building." - Imme Ruarus, head of Waags Smart Citizens Lab
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The public research method in which residents survey their own living environment with sensors is what Waag calls Citizen Sensing. Read more about Citizen Sensing and Waag's experiences with the method.
Partners
Hollandse Luchten is funded by the Province of North Holland and is a collaboration between Waag Futurelab, RIVM, TNO, GGD Amserdam and AethiQs. There are also local collaborations with municipalities, libraries, schools and environmental services, among others. Special thanks to the Dutch heroes and measuring residents.
