Supporting knowledge justice through community science air quality monitoring and a reciprocal reporting process

In community science on air quality, low-cost air monitors have emerged as an opportunity to democratize data reporting and support knowledge justice by providing participants with instantaneous access to air quality data. In this study, we equipped residents in four environmental justice communities in North Denver with low-cost air monitors to collect real-time air quality data for four separate 30-day field deployments over two years. We conceptualize an improvement to conventional report-back processes by suggesting a 3-part approach - a reciprocal reporting process that includes 1) bidirectional open channels of communication with participants, 2) democratized data access via instant monitor data and written data summaries, and 3) responsive intervention opportunities to respond in real-time to participants air quality concerns. Through 120 interviews with 30 air quality monitor users after each of the four field deployments, we identify how this reciprocal reporting process increased Air Quality (AQ) awareness and supported distinct modes of environmental learning, which we term data-driven, health-conscious, and progressive logics of inquiry. In addition, this non-prescriptive approach centered participants' alternative ways of knowing, such as sensory experiences to understand pollution exposure, and fostered collective learning that ultimately furthered knowledge justice. Our study highlights the potential for a more robust and holistic approach to report-back processes within community science projects to foster flexibility, reciprocity, and responsiveness.