Crowdsourcing applications for monitoring the urban environment

Crowdsourcing applications have emerged as a powerful approach for engaging citizens in monitoring various environmental aspects. This chapter explores the potential of crowdsourcing applications specifically tailored for monitoring the urban environment. It delves into two main areas of focus: monitoring physical aspects in urban environments, such as weather and hydrology monitoring, air quality, and noise pollution; and monitoring social aspects, including urban planning and mobility issues, as well as the social impact of natural hazards events. The chapter investigates how crowdsourcing can be utilized to engage citizens in collecting and analyzing data related to these crucial urban parameters. By harnessing the power of collective intelligence, this chapter highlights the potential of crowdsourcing as a valuable tool for monitoring and improving urban environments from both physical and social perspectives.