A total of 100 weather stations will be progressively installed in schools throughout the Balearic Islands thanks to the XarMet project, a citizen science and data-based learning initiative that promotes collaboration between the education system and the University of the Balearic Islands (UIB).
The proposal aims to bring environmental monitoring, data culture and scientific research to the classroom, through the pedagogical use of real environmental data collected directly in the centers. In this way, XarMet favors the development of STEAM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) projects linked to the territory and current environmental challenges.
The initiative has the support of the First Vice-Presidency and Conselleria d’Economia, Hisenda i Innovació, and with the participation of the Agència Balear de Digitalització, Ciberseguretat i Telecomunicacions (IB Digital) and the UIB. The project is coordinated by the Espai COTIB of the university, in collaboration with the CEP IBSTEAM, an institutional alliance that allows to add technological, scientific and educational capabilities and ensure the scalability of the network throughout the archipelago.
The deployment of XarMet will be developed over three academic years. During the current academic year, a first phase will begin with the participation of 20 educational centers distributed among the different islands, which will act as the first nodes of the network. Starting in February, these centers will begin to implement the project in their classrooms, while in later phases up to 80 more centers will be incorporated.
Schools interested in taking part in this first phase will be able to register between January 12 and 25. Participation implies a commitment to install and maintain the weather station, use the data collected for educational purposes and actively participate in the training and dissemination of the project within the educational community.
The stations will collect real data on temperature, humidity, wind, precipitation and solar radiation, which will be available through a digital open data platform promoted by the Espai COTIB. This tool will facilitate the real-time visualization of environmental information, the comparison between different points of the Balearic Islands and the development of inter-center educational projects.
The project is completed with a specific training for teachers of primary and secondary education, designed jointly by IBSTEAM and Espai COTIB. This training will take place during the second quarter of the course in Mallorca, Menorca and Ibiza, and will enable teachers to interpret environmental data and design STEAM projects based on environmental monitoring. The initiative will culminate with the active participation of the centers in the Ciència per Tothom 2026 conference.
With XarMet, educational centers are consolidated as active spaces for knowledge generation and participation in citizen science initiatives, contributing to a better understanding of the territory and raising awareness of the challenges of climate change, in line with Sustainable Development Goal 13: Climate Action.
