Array of Things 2016

Designers: David Carhart, Product Development Technologies, Lake Zurich, Illinois

Manufacturer: Argonne National Laboratory, Lemont, Illinois, USA

Array of Things is an urban sensing project, a network of interactive, modular sensor boxes that are being installed around Chicago to collect real-time data on the City’s environment, infrastructure and activity for research and public use. Essentially, it’s a ‘fitness tracker’ for a city, measuring livability factors like climate, air quality and noise. Nodes started to be mounted on streetlight traffic signal poles around the city in Summer 2016, and a goal of 500 nodes installed by the end of 2018 is in place.

Array of Things will provide real-time, location-based data about the city’s environment, infrastructure and activity to researchers and the public. This initiative has the potential to allow researchers, policymakers, developers and residents to work together and take specific actions that will make Chicago and other cities healthier, more efficient and more livable.

Because all of the data will be published openly and without charge, it will also support the development of innovative applications, such as a mobile application that allows a resident to track their exposure to certain air contaminants, or to navigate through the city based on avoiding urban heat islands, poor air quality, or excessive noise and congestion.