Data on the Run

micro:bit Data and Climate Change

Photo by Pietro Jeng on Unsplash

​The purpose of this page is to get you and your students up and working on the micro:bit Data and Climate Change Activities in the shortest time possible.

There will always be time to slow down and let each student go over the rest of the material at their own pace using this guide.

You and your students will be ready to tinker after addressing the following topics:

WHY?

The purpose of these activities and the supporting material is to learn about the power of data visualization in delivering data in the most efficient way possible.

Large quantities of information are overwhelming to parse and understand, but when presented in a visual form, it helps us:

• Find patterns and trends over time.

• Make better decisions.

• Summarize results.

• Catch outliers.

WHAT CONCEPTS SHOULD I BE FAMILIAR WITH?

Data

Data is a collection of information. For our activities, the data we'll be using is comprised of historical measurements and projections related to climate change.

Data Visualization

• Data visualization is the graphical representation of information and data. By using visual elements like charts, graphs, and maps, data visualization tools provide an accessible way to see and understand trends, outliers, and patterns in data. source

Climate Change

• Climate change refers to long-term shifts in temperatures and weather patterns. These shifts may be natural, such as through variations in the solar cycle. But since the 1800s, human activities have been the main driver of climate change, primarily due to burning fossil fuels like coal, oil and gas. source

WHAT TOOLS AM I USING?

MakeCode

MakeCode is a platform that helps us create programs that the Micro:bit can understand in any of three different computer languages, Blocks (KCJ's choice), JavaScript and Python.

micro:bit

The micro:bit is a powerful pocket computer that makes explaining the effects of code on our daily lives much more easier and interesting, as we leave the computer as the sole code-carrying device, and venture into the world of hardware, such as traffic lights, cars, rockets, medical equipment and countless other devices.

Servomechanism - servo

A servo is a device that converts electricity into controlled motion.

It enables controlling mechanical devices remotely. In our activities, the servo will be taking inputs from the micro:bit to point to different indicators on the cardboard displays.

Neopixel LED Matrix

The Neopixel is a grid of lights (LEDs) arranged in columns and rows that can be connected and receive data from the micro:bit.

I KNOW THE TOOLS, BUT HAVE NOT USED THEM TO VISUALIZE DATA

We provide 3 activities to help you get comfortable with data visualization utilizing our different tools:

1. Micro:bit and Data

2. Servo Motor and Data

3. Neopixel and Data

SHOW ME THE CLIMATE CHANGE ACTIVITIES

1. Air Pollution

2. Green Energy Forecast

3. Temperature Change

4. Heavy Precipitation Days

5. Greenhouse Gas Emissions

For a more comprehensive look at the concepts on this page, go over the whole guide, starting with Introduction.