Vaisala is a global leader in weather, environmental, and industrial measurements. Building on 85 years of experience, Vaisala provides observations for a better world, with space-proof technology even exploring Mars and beyond. The data gathered by Vaisala’s measurement instruments are used to power modern modeling tools that provide the necessary information for decision-makers and scientists at the global, national, and city-level in building a sustainable future. The new compact air quality sensor developed in LuxTurrim5G ecosystem collaboration extends the capabilities to gather accurate hyper-local data and utilize for a variety of smart city services.
Vaisala air quality sensors
Currently available reference-grade air quality monitoring stations provide accurate data, but the networks are sparse. Vaisala’s compact air quality sensors make it possible to complement the existing measurements and build dense air quality networks. Sensors can also be used as a cost-effective standalone solution for smaller cities.
When it comes to the LuxTurrim5G project, there are several lessons Vaisala has drawn during the project. Riku Auvinen, Head of Marketing of Urban Weather and Environment at Vaisala, says, first:
“During the LuxTurrim5G project, Vaisala completed the development of new generation compact air quality transmitter AQT530 which is ideal for smart city platforms. The transmitter is easy to install to smart poles, smart camera networks, and electric vehicle charging points - and, thanks to its compact size the sensors can be easily re-located. The sensor measures all major pollutants like particle matter (PM2.5 and PM10) and harmful gases (CO2, O2, and NO2). Overall, it uses state-of-the-art measuring technology, which has been tested in various weather conditions around the world.”
Auvinen explains that while the project has been helpful in developing the transmitter, such a compact and accurate air quality measurement device is one of the cornerstones to the whole concept of smart cities.
“Smart city platforms, such as smart poles and smart camera systems become truly smart when integrating compact weather and air quality sensors to the infrastructure. From an air quality monitoring perspective, they offer installation places for dense monitoring network, which can collect valuable data from numerous data points for modeling and forecasting air quality”, says Auvinen.
Technology for public health and sustainable development
The value of having comprehensive data on air quality in urban environments strikes one of the most pressing health problems in cities around the world. Especially in very large cities, air quality tends to be poor. Globally, the consequences of this are dire. WHO estimates that there are 4.2 million premature deaths related to poor air quality. Moreover, air pollution is known to cause several types of cancer, cardiovascular disease, childhood development deviances, and even pregnancy outcomes.
Health applications of using air quality data are probably the most critical ones. Data from air quality monitoring networks enables cities to determine the best locations for new roads, recreational paths, schools, and hospitals. However, not only does air quality data help to tackle the health problems relating to air pollution. Already now, the data provided by Vaisala’s air quality transmitters are used to manage road maintenance and traffic emissions.
“Together with data on traffic flow and vehicle classification, weather and environmental observations serve to analyze dependencies between traffic, weather, and air quality. Practical benefits of such systems include weather information to street maintenance contractors and weather warnings to drivers. And, if traffic lights are integrated into the system by creating green waves, the system can reduce traffic emissions by avoiding unnecessary accelerations”, says Hannamari Jaakkola, Global Market Manager of Urban Environment at Vaisala.
While the current LuxTurrim5G project comes to an end in December 2021, the story of the smart city ecosystem continues. The project has been successful in that the ecosystem has evolved from a concept of smart pole to a pre-commercial product family. On March 10th, 2022, Vaisala will be presenting the smart pole ecosystem offering to a large audience at an event of the ongoing Dubai Expo 2020 with the other LuxTurrim5G partners.
See more about LuxTurrim5G at Expo 2020 Dubai