The Breathe London project combines state-of-the-art technology with new data analytics, delivering real-time air quality data at a hyperlocal level in the city.
The monitoring technology employed in the project’s network of over 100 AQMesh pods and in two Google Street View Cars was supplied by ACOEM Air Monitors.
“The benefits of hyperlocal air quality data are already being realised in London and we hope that this can be recreated all over the world,” ACOEM Air Monitors Managing Director Felicity Sharp said.
“The measurement of air pollution at an unprecedented scale and scope helps to identify pollution hotspots and informs the design and assessment of mitigation measures.”
“It also provides local information that helps citizens take their own pollution reduction initiatives and make informed decisions such as where to walk, cycle, play and live.”
Monitoring data from the AQ Mesh pods is compared against data from London’s existing regulatory grade monitoring network.
Both open-source and available for download, the stationary and mobile data are presented on an innovative platform to improve the public’s understanding of the varying presence of pollution across both time and space.
By assessing and documenting the benefits of policy interventions, such as London’s Ultra Low Emission Zone, Breathe London is lowering the barriers for other cities to undertake sophisticated monitoring and modelling, and informing smarter, targeted policy.