The European Environment Agency (EEA) and Microsoft last week introduced a network of online sites that map air, water, and noise pollution levels across the continent based on government data and information uploaded by users.
The Eye on Earth network — unveiled during the climate talks in Durban, South Africa — includes three separate interactive Web-based services: AirWatch, WaterWatch, and NoiseWatch.
Using geospatial mapping technology, WaterWatch displays the 22,000 locations across Europe where the EEA monitors the quality of water at beaches, rivers, lakes, and other swimming areas.
By zooming in on flagged monitoring stations, users can compare government rankings with public comments on water quality. AirWatch provides information from more than 1,000 air-monitoring stations, while NoiseWatch allows users to instantly upload noise level readings from their own mobile devices.
Article appearing courtesy Yale Environment 360.
