Open Data South Africa Toolkit
  • Introduction
  • How can I activate a local data community?
  • How can government manage data for social impact?
  • Applications and tools
  • Open data resources
    • Working with spatial data in South Africa
    • Spatial, land and infrastructure data resources
    • Water, sanitation and climate data resources
    • Public finance and governance data resources
    • Company and private investment data resources
    • Healthcare data resources
    • Air quality data resources
    • Education data resources
    • Demographic and survey data resources
    • Police & defence data resources
    • Cultural and heritage data resources
    • Economy, employment, trade and industry data resources
    • Agriculture data resources
    • Media and democracy data resources
  • Activities and notices
    • Cultural Data Hackathon
    • Notice: Data extracts from NHI Bill
    • Notice: Data extracts from Land Reform Report
    • Challenge: Healthy Environment
    • Challenge: Spatial Transformation
    • Challenge: Accessible Healthcare
    • Campaign: Countering misinformation on social media
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On this page
  • How is air quality monitored and data collected?
  • Challenge activities
  • 24 March - Soshanguve Hackathon
  • 22-23 May - Joburg TrainUp
  • 15-16 June - Emalahleni Hackathon
  • Data resources
  • South African Air Quality Information System (SAAQIS)
  • South African Atmospheric Emission Licensing and Inventory Portal (SAAELIP)
  • Air quality legislation and regulations
  1. Activities and notices

Challenge: Healthy Environment

Open Data South Africa (March - August 2018)

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Last updated 2 years ago

The air you breathe and water you drink are affected by pollution from many different sources. We want to find new ways for using data to better understand our environment, and enable healthier living.

The Open Data South Africa project is collaborating with the Department of Environmental Affairs in hosting a series of training and hackathon events to explore new uses of air quality data and better ways to monitor air quality issues. See below for more information on activities and resources.

The new South African Air Quality Information System () captures and visualises data from a large number of monitoring stations across the country. You can also view emissions license information for individual industry on the South African Atmospheric Emission Licensing and Inventory Portal (). And you can view online versions relevant national air quality and on SAFLII and at a local level for some cities on .

How is air quality monitored and data collected?

Air quality is monitored through government-managed air quality monitoring stations, industry and by citizens.

For government, the Department of Environmental Affairs, provinces, metros and district municipalities have setup air quality monitoring stations in most regions of South Africa. These stations track pollution due to harmful gases and particles such as sulphur dioxide (SO2) from certain industries and particulate matter (PM) from burning various materials for electricity, heating and cooking. The data from the monitoring stations is routed to the SAAQIS platform as 'Level 1' raw data. SAAQIS processes errors to generate 'Level 2' data which is shown on the site.

Challenge activities

24 March - Soshanguve Hackathon

What is it?

A hackathon was held on 24 March 2018 on this topic: How can local communities affected by pollution better understand their living environment using air quality data and tools?

Key points

  • A joint event by Department of Environmental Affairs and Open Data South Africa

  • Held at TUT Soshanguve

  • Over 50 students participated

  • Worked with SAAQIS datasets

Why is it important?

Over 50 students, young developers and entrepreneurs participated in the hackathon. The students formed into 10 teams and worked on a range of project ideas, from mobile applications to alert users about unhealthy air quality levels in their town to low-cost Arduino-based air quality monitoring stations with a personal web-based dashboard.

This hackathon introduced students involved in computer systems to air quality issues and related data. It was also an opportunity for the DEA and South African Weather Service (SAWS) team to see new ideas from students on how air quality can be managed using data provided through the South African Air Quality Information System (SAAQIS).

How can it be accessed and used?

22-23 May - Joburg TrainUp

What is it?

A two-day training was held on 22-23 May 2018 in Joburg to develop data stories around air quality.

Key points

  • Participants included entrepreneurs, developers and civil society

  • Worked with SAAQIS datasets

Why is it important?

The event focused on the Package and Present content from the TrainUp curriculum, which aims to equip participants with skills for visualising data and incorporating this into a data story. Although many people are familiar with data in spreadsheets and can create graphs or statistical analyses, it is important to understand how different audiences may interpret different forms of evidence or visualisations. This will affect what kind of visual content you product and what data story you tell.

In this TrainUp, participants worked with data from the South African Air Quality Information System (SAAQIS) which was extracted and prepared for the training.

How can it be accessed and used?

15-16 June - Emalahleni Hackathon

What is it?

A hackathon was held on 15-16 June 2018 on this topic: How can residents of Emalahleni better understand and monitor air quality for a healthier environment?

Key points

  • A joint event by Department of Environmental Affairs and Open Data South Africa

  • Held at TUT Emalahleni

  • Over 35 students and civil society participated

  • Working with SAAQIS, SAAELIP tools

Why is it important?

This hackathon will introduce students involved in computer systems to air quality issues and related data, and will connect civil society groups involved in air quality issues with data and technology students. It is an opportunity for the DEA and South African Weather Service (SAWS) team to see new ideas from students and civil society groups on how air quality can be managed using data provided through SAAQIS and SAAELIP.

How can it be accessed and used?

Data resources

South African Air Quality Information System (SAAQIS)

South African Atmospheric Emission Licensing and Inventory Portal (SAAELIP)

Air quality legislation and regulations

All the resources from the hackathon are available in the . Content includes:

The hackathon 2-page briefing

Selected air quality data sets from monitoring stations near the event ( in Soshanguve) and elsewhere in South Africa (Emalahleni ).

National annual air quality which provide aggregated analysis of air quality across various priority sites in South Africa

A joint event by and Open Data South Africa

Held at in Braamfontein, Joburg

Resources from the TrainUp are available in the . Content includes:

Training Resources and Exercises with links to useful tools

Cleaned and prepared air quality

All the resources from the hackathon are available in the and other locations noted below. Content includes:

The hackathon 2-page

Selected from monitoring stations including Witbank Emalahleni, Secunda and Middleburg.

National annual which provide aggregated analysis of air quality across various priority sites in South Africa

SAAELIP emissions license data for Mpumalanga can be accessed

List of activities regulation with limits on emissions per industry can be accessed

A comprehensive list of legislation and regulations related to the National Environmental Management: Air Quality Act which can be accessed on the CER site .

The new South African Air Quality Information System () captures and visualises data from a large number of monitoring stations across the country.

You can view emissions license information for individual industry on the South African Atmospheric Emission Licensing and Inventory Portal ().

You can review relevant national air quality legislation on the site and at a local level for some cities on .

drive folder
document
Bodibeng
Witbank
reports
TrainUp
Tshimologong Precinct
drive folder
document
datasets
drive folder
briefing document and programme
air quality data sets
air quality reports
here
here
here
SAAQIS
SAAELIP
CER
OpenByLaws
SAAQIS
SAAELIP
legislation
regulations
OpenByLaws