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How can citizen science projects advance the achievement of transformative air quality-related Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Germany and Niger? We investigate the promise of using citizen-generated data (CGD) as an input for official SDG monitoring and implementation in a multidisciplinary project, based on activities undertaken in Niger and Germany ranging from surveys, action research, policy and legislative analysis and environmental monitoring in Niamey and Leipzig, respectively. We critically describe and evaluate the great potential, but very limited actual use of CGD sources for these global goals in both contexts from technical and policy perspectives. Agenda 2030 provides an opportunity to tackle indoor and outdoor air quality in a more integrated and transformative perspective. However, we find this agenda to be remarkably absent in air quality policy and monitoring plans. Likewise, we find no meaningful links of existing citizen science initiatives to official air quality policy. We propose how SDGs-aligned citizen science initiatives could make major contributions to environmental and health monitoring and public debate, especially in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. This however requires researchers to more strategically link these initiatives to policymakers and policy frameworks, such as SDG indicators and the governance structures in which they are embedded.

This paper aims at highlighting some emerging issues and related data gaps in Niger; where public policies as well as research projects related to smart cities and smart villages are currently being experimented. We have found that there will be no smart city or smart village without smart citizens and the quadruple helix (Government, Industry, Academic, Citizens) innovation model is important for knowledge co-creation and to harness the potential of massive amounts of new data that are created every day. This data revolution combined to intelligent data mining approaches will certainly contribute to the definition, implementation and monitoring of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals in Niger.

This chapter aims at investigating recent advanced topics related to the convergence of open data portals, digital libraries, interactive whiteboards, and smart devices widespread that conduct to emerging applications and data innovations related to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).