What is App’Ailes d’Air?
Also called AP5, Atmospheric Physical Parameters and Pollution Probing with Paragliders, is a project carried by independent science explorers, climate and atmosphere scientists (LPCEE Orléans and IAC Zürich), and citizens. It can be described in three ways:
- A participative science project with low-cost and open-source instruments, and a collaboration with citizens.
- A network of atmospheric sensors, flown with paragliders, enabling the mapping of atmospheric and pollution parameters with a unique temporal and spatial coverage.
- A database, made to last for years, to measure our atmosphere, to contribute to the environment and climate’s conservation, and a tool to help political decisions.
For whom is the data useful?
- Scientists in the fields of atmosphere and climate, such as our partners at ETH Zürich and CNRS Orléans.
- Institutes involved in environmental concerns.
- Politically engaged citizens in contexts of environmental and land development decisions.
- Potentially, the organisations in charge of traffic and pollution regulation.
- Paraglider pilots as they will have access to their own flight and to global analysis (e.g.: average wind speed in a region, etc.).
For what is the data useful?
- To better understand the phenomena of aerosols and pollution transport in the atmosphere, particularly how they reach higher altitudes, and the influence of the topography.
- To study the influence of the surrounding environment on pollution in cities.
- To spot increased pollution or pollen events and alert the relevant organisations (e.g. traffic control, agriculture, etc.).
- To study the arrival and evolution of concentrated aerosols events which originate thousands of kilometres away (e.g. desert storm, volcanic eruption, etc.).
How to participate?
- As a paraglider pilot: help us collect data.
- As citizen: help us collect plastic.
- As a scientist: join the collaboration, help us analyse the data or expand to new regions.
- “I want to build my own sensor!” No problem! Being open-source, all the documentation will soon be available (after the prototyping phase).
- “I love your project and would like to sponsor it with my company” We are always looking for new partnerships opportunities and are open to discuss collaborations.
- As a cyclist: keep an eye on the project, we also plan to equip bikes with our instruments in the future!
For further information and participation, please contact contact@appailesdair.com
