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Opportunistic Environmental Sensing with Smartphones: a Critical Review of Current Literature and Applications

  • Built Environment and Health (MJ Nieuwenhuijsen and AJ de Nazelle, Section Editors)
  • Published:
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Abstract

Purpose of Review

This review sought to summarize recent literature and applications of passive, or opportunistic, mobile sensing in the fields of exposure science in built environment settings; highlight innovative opportunistic sensing systems; and analyze their functionality, significant features, and limitations.

Recent Findings

Fifty-two papers related to opportunistic environmental sensing from 2009 or later were related to this review, of which 27 were included. An array of applications have emerged in environmental monitoring, employing anywhere from one to six of the phone’s on-board sensors.

Summary

The viability of an application is determined by several key factors: the number and quality of sensors on-board the smartphone; power and processing demand; algorithm complexity; data security; mobile network coverage; reliance on external data sources; minimum number of users required; and degree of user burden when using the application. Some factors are universal, while others are more context-specific. Future research should assess sensing applications based on these factors.

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Papers of particular interest, published recently, have been highlighted as: • Of importance •• Of major importance

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Acknowledgments

We acknowledge funding from the UCLA Center for Occupational and Environmental Health and the European Union’s Seventh Programme for research, technological development, and demonstration under grant agreement No. 603946 knowns and the HEALS project.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Electrical Engineering, UCLA ER Lab, Los Angeles, CA, USA

    Ebrahim Nemati

  2. UCLA Center for Occupational and Environmental Health, Los Angeles, CA, USA

    Christina Batteate & Michael Jerrett

  3. Department of Environmental Health Sciences, UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, 650 Charles E. Young Drive, South 56-060 CHS, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA

    Michael Jerrett

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  1. Ebrahim Nemati
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Correspondence to Michael Jerrett.

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Nemati, E., Batteate, C. & Jerrett, M. Opportunistic Environmental Sensing with Smartphones: a Critical Review of Current Literature and Applications. Curr Envir Health Rpt 4, 306–318 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40572-017-0158-8

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