RDTN.org is a site displaying an interactive map with crowdsourced radiation data from Japan. The creators say that with the ongoing nuclear power plant crisis in Fukushima, they felt there was a need for trusted sources of information.
With conflicting reports of radiation levels in affected areas, they wanted to develop a way to report and see data in an unbiased format. They stress the site is not meant as a replacement for government or official nuclear agencies, rather additional information from various sources to provide context to the official reports.
The site encourages people to purchase a radiation detection device
The map Legend separates the data sources with different color codes, so data from some “carefully chosen partners” is in different colors from the publicly submitted data. As additional sources of reliable information become available, they say the will consider adding more.
There are additional updates planned for the site too, including more data feeds, a heatmap view, mobile optimization, viewing map data over time, additional locations outside Japan, a KML feed, and contextual analysis of data.
In terms of understanding the readings, check out this Radiation Dose Chart. The chart provides information on the amount of ionzing radiation a person can absorb from various sources. It makes for interesting reading, as I’m sure not very many people are familiar with the units of radiation allowable before health is impacted.
And who knew sleeping with someone or eating a banana can give you a tiny dose of radiation?!
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