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Description of EcoSense project

EcoSense Objectives

The objective of EcoSense is to develop novel collective sensing, macroscopic analysis and visualization methods for streams of semantically annotated measurement data from which climate impacts can be inferred.

EcoSense methods aggregate data from smartphones   with data from sensors mounted in vehicles/- vessels/buildings, and provide real time macroscopic analysis, visualization, and alerts for decision makers or evaluators.

The visions are to deliver to individuals and decision makers reliable eco-aware tools:

  1. to measure whether energy reduction strategies achieve their predicted effects
  2. to identify potential new initiatives that may be launched to reduce climate impact

Developed countries shall reduce their greenhouse gas emissions by 20%

EcoSense tools are critical, since global warming concerns have led the EU to decide that developed countries by 2020 should reduce their greenhouse gas emissions by 20% and enact energy efficiency guidelines.

Our hypothesis is that greater awareness of climate impacts enabled by the envisioned methods will empower individuals, companies, institutions, and public spaces to reduce greenhouse gas emission by 5-10 %. This is supported by surveys showing that already the knowledge of impact makes people change their environmental behavior.

Further reductions may be gained via changed government policies based on EcoSense analysis results. We apply the methods to a range of cases with end-user organizations, e.g. green city programs in Aarhus, Copenhagen and Sønderborg, company programs on CO2 footprinting, electrical vehicles, and shipping.

EcoSense is a joint research project between university and industrial partners

EcoSense is a strategic research project and joint development effort between universities, industrial partners, and municipalities that helps assure research excellence, societal relevance, and innovation nationally and internationally via network and partners.