Safecast Launches Citizen Radiation Measurement Tool
via flickr user Nokton
Especially in the wake of last year’s disaster at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant in Japan, one would expect readily accessible data on radiation levels to be a priority. After all, these measurements help determine the size of evacuation zones around nuclear disaster sites, not to mention the degree of biological risk involved. Unfortunately, that has not been the case.
Safecast, a nonprofit that collects and maps open-source data on radiation levels (mainly in Japan for now), launched as a response to this disparity. In order to obtain proper measurements by average citizens, the team at Safecast reverse-engineered a more affordable Geiger counter that easily collects reliable information on different levels of radiation. A recent Kickstarter campaign proved successful beyond expectation and pulled in over $100,000 that will allow the organization to produce 250 more of the devices.
And the more, the better—radiation travels and disseminates in so many different ways that it is quite difficult to measure. “Doing radiation measurements is like standing in a dark room, with one eye open, looking through a used paper towel tube, and trying to count the number of flashing bulbs on a Christmas tree,” Andrew “bunnie” Huang, a core team member at Safecast, said in a recent Fast Company article. And when people’s security depends on those measurements, inaccurate numbers can do more harm than good.
Allowing anyone to contribute reliable radiation data from more locations creates a more robust set of information. This advantage outweighs the risk of measurement errors.
Safecast’s use of citizen data collection shows promising new pathways in using information for social and environmental change. Data is becoming a powerful way for people to contribute to our collective knowledge, and it’s a breath of fresh air to see that knowledge used to save lives.
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