AmbiCEM - Ambient Atmosphere Pollution Monitoring

Abstract

According to WHO, Pakistan is the 4th most polluted country in the world, with nearly 59,241 deaths every year due to polluted air. Air pollution in some cities can reach the 300+ levels of global air quality index. Where there is hardly any reliable pollution data available. And there is a considerable lack of awareness among people. Local air-pollution researchers have been using bulky and expensive equipment, and the data is neither instantaneous or publicly available. The planning and decision making in industrial expansion and urbanization has to be assessed beforehand to avoid the its adverse effects on population, wildlife and the industry itself.

As of 1997, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) of Pakistan has been carrying out the Environmental Impact Assessment Act and given the low awareness level among people along with limited capability of the agency, the implementation of EIA culture in the country has been difficult and fruitless.

At present, our scientific understanding of air pollution is not sufficient to be able to accurately predict air quality at all times throughout the country. This is where crowd-sourced monitoring can be used to fill the gap in understanding.

We have developed a portable IOT air-pollution sensing device which can be mounted anywhere in urban landscape, sending instantaneous air-pollution data with weather info to a public web-app, to create pollution heat-maps and forecast. We monitor major gaseous-pollutants, particulates, humidity, temperature and atmospheric-pressure. Our goal is, helping the researchers in predicting air-pollution, the government in imposing regulations, and people being more aware.