Who Owns Our Knowledge? Why Open Air Quality Data Matters More Than Ever

Every October, Open Access Week invites us to reflect on how knowledge is shared and who gets to access it. This year’s theme, “Who Owns Our Knowledge?,” resonates deeply with us at OpenAQ because air quality data — fundamental to research, communications, policy and action — is still too often locked away.

Open data is data that anyone can freely access, use, modify and share for any purpose, as explained by the Open Knowledge Foundation. But in the air quality world, “open data” and “data ownership” are often at odds. As EPIC Clean Air Program Director Christa Hasenkopf posits on LinkedIn, before we can talk about whether data is open, we have to ask: who actually owns it?

This is a critical question. Some air quality sensor companies and platforms restrict access to the data that users collect. That can mean fees to retrieve your own measurements, uncertainty about whether you can share your findings publicly, or the risk that your data — and all the insights your data holds — could disappear behind a paywall if a company changes its policy.

This matters far beyond the individual researcher or community. When data is locked up, we all lose the ability to see the bigger picture — to connect patterns across cities and continents, to understand the full scope of pollution exposure, and to develop solutions grounded in evidence. Open air quality data doesn’t just support better science — it supports better societies.

At OpenAQ, we believe open data fuels collective action. It empowers scientists, journalists, governments, companies and communities to collaborate on the same evidence base. It helps ensure that the world’s clean air challenges — and solutions — aren’t hidden behind proprietary walls. And it gives people the ability to make informed choices about the air they breathe.

This Open Access Week, let’s remember: our atmosphere belongs to everyone. So should the knowledge that helps us protect it.

Learn more about why open air quality data matters: openaq.org/why-open-data