Resource Guardian - An open-source, modular Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) monitoring system featuring a gamified Graphical User Interface (GUI)
Resource Guardian's Wiki: Link
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Modular IEQ monitoring system
Open-source system for monitoring key IEQ parameters, designed for real-world field studies and long-term deployment.
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Multi-sensor data acquisition
Support for air temperature, humidity, illuminance, sound level, CO2 concentration, VOC, wind speed, window status, electric power, and other IEQ sensors, with synchronized data collection and time-stamping.
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Autonomous system
On-device GUI providing real-time visualization, intuitive interaction, and immediate feedback without requiring an external computer or internet connection. All data are stored locally on a microSD card.
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Behavior-oriented feedback system
Context-aware feedback and recommendations aiming to support more resource-/energy-efficient and healthy user behavior, based on measured IEQ conditions.
Feedback System Resource Guardian can provide recommendations and energy-saving tips based on your current IEQ environment |
Sensor Data Resource Guardian's modular design allows real-time IEQ data to be displayed based on your sensor configuration. |
- Step 1: Prepare enclosure
- Step 2: Prepare PCB
- Step 3: Assembling Resource Guardian
The Ressourcenwächter (Resource Guardian) project is a mixed open-source project consisting of software, firmware, hardware designs, documentation, feedback content, and third-party artwork. Different components of the project are released under different licenses, as outlined below.
In general, this project may be used, modified, and redistributed, provided that appropriate attribution is given and the respective license terms of each component are respected. Non-commercial use is permitted for all components, while commercial use is restricted for parts of the project licensed under non-commercial Creative Commons licenses. Third-party assets remain subject to their original licenses.
Please read this section carefully before reusing or redistributing any part of the project.
The codebase is structured into following main components:
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Firmware: Code running on embedded microcontrollers.
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Software for touch display GUI: Graphical user interface running directly on the monitoring device.
Author: Qirui Huang
License: GNU General Public License v3.0 (GPL-3.0)
Unless stated otherwise, all software and firmware developed within this project are licensed under GPL-3.0. Any derivative work must be distributed under the same license.
Author: Qirui Huang
License: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)
This license applies to all hardware-related materials, including but not limited to schematics, PCB layouts, enclosure designs, and mechanical drawings.
Commercial use is not permitted. Adaptations must be shared under the same license.
Authors: Qirui Huang, Marc Syndicus, Anna Langenbeck, Anna Deriks, Sonja Herzogenrath
License: CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
This license applies to feedback texts, categorization schemes, behavioral recommendation concepts, and related content, except for quotations and otherwise indicated parts.
Authors: Qirui Huang, Marc Syndicus
License: CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
This includes assembly guides, methodological documentation, and other written materials, except for quotations and otherwise indicated parts.
This project incorporates third-party assets. These assets are not covered by the software license and remain subject to their respective licenses:
- Dino Characters by @ArksDigital, license: free
- Dino Family by @DemChing, license: CC-BY 4.0
- Sprout Lands Asset Pack by @Cup Nooble, license: free for non-commercial projects
- Hearts by @fliflifly, license: CC-0
All artworks not listed above are created by Qirui Huang and licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0.
The project Ressourcenwächter was funded by RWTH Aachen University's Sustainability Fund (Ref. 02-2023-004). We are grateful for the support.
If you use Resource Guardian in your academic work, please cite our journal paper: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2026.114657
Examples:
BibTeX:
@article{Huang_2026_Potential_Gamification_BAE,
title = {The potential of gamification in IEQ monitoring: Open-source hardware development and field studies},
journal = {Building and Environment},
volume = {298},
pages = {114657},
year = {2026},
issn = {0360-1323},
doi = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2026.114657},
url = {https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0360132326004622},
author = {Qirui Huang and Marc Syndicus and Dono Jamoliddinova and Jérôme Frisch and Christoph {van Treeck}},
keywords = {Indoor environmental quality, Gamification, Monitoring, User behavior, Hardware},
}APA style:
Huang, Q., Syndicus, M., Jamoliddinova, D., Frisch, J., & van Treeck, C. (2026). The potential of gamification in IEQ monitoring: Open-source hardware development and field studies. Building and Environment, 298, 114657. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2026.114657