As Europe races toward its Green Deal goals, high-resolution data and timely environmental intelligence have never been more crucial. Yet traditional monitoring stations - while rigorous - are often too sparse to capture the local “hotspots” of air pollution that affect citizens’ daily lives. The CitiObs Policy Brief “Decision making based on trusted data in the European Data Spaces” demonstrates how citizen-generated data (CGD) can fill this gap - so long as it’s transformed into Trusted Decision Ready Information (TDRI) that policy makers can rely on.
From Raw Readings to Trusted Insights
Citizen-generated data need to be converted into Analysis Ready Data (ARD) by ensuring the quality of the observations. This can be achieved by applying the following steps:
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- On-site validation of each sensor’s operation
- Redundancy checks by comparing co-located devices
- Cross-referencing with official reference stations, models, and satellites
These steps ensure that low-cost sensors deliver quality-controlled data suitable for robust analysisThe distribution of the quality controlled analysis ready data should be done in a way that nobody can temper with it. CitiObs proposes the use of and Immutable Catalog & Certification. In this step, Every ARD dataset is hashed and recorded in a distributed, tamper-proof catalog, preserving full provenance. In addition, digital certificates accompany each dataset, encoding licensing, permissible use cases, and data-quality level. This way, Processing tools can automatically verify hashes and certificates before any analysis, guaranteeing that only authentic, authorized data flows into decision engines.
MapAir is an example of this processing tools developed in CitiObs that produces Decision Ready Information (DRI → TDRI). In it, static map products (“MapAir” outputs) and analytics are generated from certified snapshots of ARD. These TDRI artifacts plug directly into policy dashboards—no extra preprocessing needed - empowering you with actionable intelligence at European scale.
Why Citizen-Generated Data Matters
- Hyper-local granularity: Detect neighbourhood-level pollution spikes invisible to regional networks.
- Democratic data sourcing: Engage schools, NGOs, and community groups—turn citizens into active stewards of their environment.
- Provenance-first approach: Maintain data sovereignty for providers while giving you an auditable trail from sensor to policy insight.
- Scalable architecture: No need to copy massive datasets. Hashes and distributed catalogs grant discoverability without duplication.
Strategic Directives for CGD Integration
- Mandate Certification Across the Green Deal Data Space
Require all citizen and Copernicus-derived datasets to carry unique hashes and digital certificates registered in an immutable catalog. - Standardize Metadata & APIs
Align low-cost sensor vocabularies with OGC STAplus and Green Deal ontologies and information models so every dataset is immediately discoverable and interoperable. - Embed Trust in Procurement
Include TDRI-certification criteria in environmental monitoring tenders and Green Deal funding calls to ensure that every euro spent yields verifiable, policy-ready data. - Foster Multi-Stakeholder Governance
Create regional boards - comprising policy experts, civil-society representatives, and technologists - to oversee data quality, ethical use, and consent frameworks. - Invest in Community Capacity
Allocate micro-grants and toolkits so local observatories can deploy validated sensors, manage digital certificates, and contribute directly to policy evaluation.
By embracing the CitiObs framework, policymakers can unlock a truly democratic, hyper-local, and trustworthy data ecosystem, supercharging the Green Deal Data Space with the very voices and measurements of Europe’s citizens.
Read the full Policy Brief on Zenodo: https://zenodo.org/records/15576866
Related policy brief with recommendations for the Green Deal Data Space: https://zenodo.org/records/15649164
