First steps of ETAIN Citizen Labs
How is ETAIN involving communities and implementing co-created strategies to actively engage citizens into mapping and studying our exposure to RF-EMF during our daily lives? In this article you’ll get some more details and insights on how an integrated mobile application and web platforms are being co-designed to measure individual and collective RF-EMF exposure across the Citizen Labs in Barcelona and Utrecht. Keep reading!
ETAIN adopts a human-centred approach for the codesign and development of a mobile app and a web portal where most of the RF-EMF exposure data and insights will be collected, visualised and consulted. Communities are engaged through participative hubs and have a crucial role by taking active part in discussions, hands-on activities and testing phases that follow a dedicated citizen engagement strategy. In particular, the labs draw on User Experience and Participatory Design methods to define and validate functionalities and interfaces through iterative cycles. The steps are as follows:
Identification of citizens’ concerns related to RF-EMF exposure. Am I concerned about RF-EMF exposure? When? Where? To what extent? Does it have an impact on my health and wellbeing? How can I become aware about my exposure? What can I do to reduce it? These among other questions are being explored to be addressed in the subsequent development cycles. With the support of ETAIN researchers, participants therefore co-create research questions to be answered through using the app and from the data generated from its usage. Besides ensuring relevance and understandability of the scientific process, expectations are being managed and met.
Collect data through the app on individual and collective RF-EMF exposure. Once the app is designed, users will start generating personal awareness and data about their exposure while using their smartphones. Collectively, users will generate exposure maps of those places and spaces across the EU where the app is used. Conditions to exchange this data with the ETAIN research partners and with the wider public are also being co-designed with participants.
Analyse the data and reflect on the results. After these initial iterative design-development-testing phases , researchers will collect citizen’s feedback on the user experience and the data collection to better design the app interface ultimately increasing its performance in terms of both usability and scientific validity. The data will be visualised and accessed in an integrated web platform, also co-designed with participants. Here, users will be then able to access personalised information about history of their exposure and the wider public will be able to consult in an online map where and how much exposure occurs. Once the app and the platform are ready to be mass-adopted, the project will enter a larger data collection campaign across the EU.
Citizen Lab in Barcelona, explained
Barcelona is established as one of the hubs of the ETAIN project, and is focused on involving citizens in the codesign of the ETAIN mobile app and the web platform. First steps have been made so far towards identifying and building an active, heterogenous, and committed community in the city. People of all ages, genders, interests, and backgrounds gathered in the first participatory workshop at the Ideas For Change’s offices at the end of 2022.
Besides introducing emerging 5G technologies, the effect on the landscape of RF-EMF, the limits imposed by existing regulation and our existing knowledge on their effect on health, the community started to generate important insights. First, the team collectively explored interests and concerns around new recent and future technological waves and their effects in terms of RF-EMF generation. Second, people’s wills and interests were explored with respect to what they would like to know in relation to these phenomena, if, why and how people would be using the ETAIN mobile application and the web platform, and what people would be interested to know and to what level of detail. Third, since generating exposure maps depends on usage of the application, this fundamentally entails a profound reflection on what data users would need to share and how this data is managed to preserve their privacy and other digital rights. Important insights emerged on what data people are willing to share in exchange of personalised exposure information and knowledge and under what conditions. Importantly, the willingness of the public to contribute to (open) science emerged as an additional motivation which will not be underestimated in future design cycles and activities.
Citizen Lab in Utrecht, explained
In parallel, the Citizen Lab in Utrecht focuses on building a web based public exposure portal. In this platform, citizens will be able to access information about personal, environmental and population RF-EMF from UE use and infrastructural sources such as base stations or WLAN access points. This will be prepared for various target groups (children, general population, and workers), and complemented with information on potential health risks related to RF-EMF exposure. The RF-EMF exposure portal will provide open-access to a personal interactive RF-EMF dose calculator where users can enter their usage of UE and get information about their personal RF EMF exposure and dose and their exposure in relation to other people. The core of the interactive RF-EMF dose calculator will consist of an Integrated Dose Model (IDM) for estimating dose distributions from different RF-EMF sources in the population, with and without technological exposure reductions. The IDM thus provides insight into the main contributors to the total RF-EMF dose estimates of population-wide distributions of RF-EMF dose. In general, the IDM can be used as input for future risk communication and assessment, epidemiological investigations, and exposure reduction strategies.
With the web based public exposure portal the public will have access to information about:
1) Generic anonymised exposure data: Personal usage data (e.g., duration of phone/video calls, internet use, etc.) will be processed and de-identified to present aggregated exposure information to the public. This includes summary statistics on different types of usage by age groups, exposure maps, and dose calculations including contributions from different sources and usage behaviours. Interactive features to simulate the effect of behaviour changes (e.g., use of hands-free kits for calling) on personal exposure will be implemented. General information about RF-EMF with focus on exposure and health risk will be communicated through audio/visual creative materials, such as video animatics.
2) Personal data on use, exposure and recommendations: By creating a personal login and using the exposure app, app-users can access information on their own RF-EMF exposures. A users’ own exposure profile to RF-EMF will be derived depending on places visited, different device use, everyday practices/behaviours and exposure duration. Users will give informed consent in line with data protection laws and ethical standards. In addition to generic information about RF-EMF, the personal app environment will include the possibility to set ambient notifications.
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