What will the environmental weather be like today?
The wonder of IoT- Internet of Things – has come to reach the issues of environmental research. The “Environmental Weather” IoT project has developed smart sensors to measure air pollution and noise and send real-time data directly to your mobile phone or computer. At its concluding seminar in Universeum in Gothenburg, the project presented the possibilities of connected environmental monitoring.
– It is important for us to communicate environmental data and this project is a good example of how visualization of current levels of air pollutants highlights the issue of air pollution in the city, says Fredrik Hallgren at IVL Swedish Environmental Research Institute, project leader, Environmental Weather. After two years of development in the Vinnova funded project eight instruments with connected sensors are installed in the environs of the Korsvägen intersection, the Gårda residential area and the Tingstad Tunnel in Gothenburg. The sensors measure nitric oxide, particulate matter and noise levels and deliver real-time data on current levels in these neighborhoods. This real-time-visualization should make it easier to choose the bus or bike instead of the car, thus reducing yours and others’ exposure to air pollution. – Gothenburg is a busy city, and it is expanding rapidly with the construction of new housing and infrastructure. Air pollution will continue to be an important issue, and digitized environmental monitoring enables us to make measures improving air quality more effective, says Fredrik Hallgren. The environmental weather sensors are cheap and easy to install. They are somewhat less accurate than existing sensing instruments, but placing more of them over a larger area gives a more complete picture of how air pollutants vary around the city. A recently submitted application – Air and Water IoT (LoV-IoT) – sets forth the planning of the next step in deploying digitized environmental monitoring using connected water-resistant sensors. This is important to ensure that large infrastructure projects doesn’t affect water quality. For more information, please contact: Fredrik Hallgren, fredrik.hallgren@ivl.se, +46 (0)10-788 67 83