Real-Time Geo-awareness - Sensor Data Integration for Environmental Monitoring in the City

Environmental monitoring faces a variety of complex technical and socio-political challenges, particularly in the urban context. Data sources may be available, but mostly not combinable because of lacking interoperability and deficient coordination due to monolithic and closed data infrastructures. In this work we present the real-time geo-awareness approach that seeks to tackle these challenges with an open sensing infrastructure for monitoring applications. Our system makes extensive use of open (geospatial) standards throughout the entire process chain – from sensor data integration to analysis, and finally visualisation. Then, we show how the methodology can influence the city and its inhabitants by 'making the abstract real', in other words how pervasive environmental monitoring systems change urban social interactions, and which issues are related to establishing such systems.