How can citizens generate noise data that drive real changes?

Making Sense was a European H2020 project that aimed to empower citizens through digital fabrication applied to sensor design and the production and sharing of data. The project developed 9 citizen science pilots with communities facing environmental issues in Barcelona, Amsterdam, and Pristina. As a result, an open toolkit was designed that aggregates participation strategies, co-design methods, open source technologies, open data, and case studies from citizen science projects. 

The case of Plaça del Sol (Gràcia, Barcelona) was the most significant. Neighbors from the Gràcia district gathered at Plaça del Sol, which has historically suffered from noise generated by visitors congregating there until the early hours of the morning. The neighborhood association investigated to what extent the noise levels around the square were above normal and how the situation could be improved.