Measuring air quality insmart cities

Amanda Randle

Director, Environmental Instruments, UK

What is AQMesh?

• ‘Bird box’ sized unit which takes key air qualitymeasurements:

• Gases: NO2, NO, O3, CO and SO2 (+….)• Particulates: PM10, PM2.5, PM1• Environmental: (pod) temperature, RH%, pressure

• Independent power: battery, solar, etc.

• Independent communications: GSM - 2G / 3G

• GPS

• Easy to install

• Online data processing and access

• (Channel 4 Dispatches last Monday night)

Who wants this?

• Compliance: local authorities, government,academic institutions, consultancies

• To ‘tick boxes’

• Research – focus on health

• Traffic management

• Private organisations, eg: industrial, HVAC

• Funded projects• Citi-Sense

• ‘Smart cities’

What does AQMesh offer?

• ‘Small / cheap’ sensors• A practical platform

• Easy to install• Weatherproof – hot, cold, wet…• Tough

• ‘Smart’ functionality• Communications from equipment• Access to data online• The stuff that happens between

• Changing settings online• Alerts and self-diagnosis• Processing sensor output using cutting edge techniques

• Our IP and competitive advantage safe on the cloud

Issues• Data can be generated near real-time and high frequency• Data is available easily online and can be pushed / shared / published

directly• Stakeholders are not straightforward• Does the public actually care about air quality?• The public / citizens cannot afford equipment that really works Toys…• What is anybody going to do with the data?• Air quality experts are slow to move away from reference methods• Opportunity to broaden comms options, eg: wi-fi and reduce charges• Sensors are cheap and presented seductively for users to ‘have a go’• AQMesh is a new product in a new market and pushing the limits of sensor

technology

Performance is key

AQMesh in action

• Citi-Sense• 8 cities, ~25 pods in each, mapping the city, citizen engagement

• London ‘Clean Air Squares’: http://www.teamlondonbridge.co.uk/news-fresh-air-squares-open-competitionzzznzzz.aspx?m=31&mi=261&pmi=&ms=

• Cambridge ‘smart cities’ project• Many small projects: 1-4 nodes, with ambitions for up to 20

• Traffic monitoring• Industrial fence line• Potentially compliance (certification)

• Quoting for BIG projects:• World Bank• Change London

Questions?