AirSENCE caaqMMS – a Comprehensive Air Mapping solution

Increased accessibility to Smart City infrastructure in recent years has made air quality mapping a priority for cities of all sizes worldwide. In many locations there is a strong push to adapt this technology for mandatory reporting of air pollution data to federal and/or international agencies, for two primary reasons:

1. 1. The need for public dissemination of air pollution data; and
2. 2. The inhomogeneity of pollutant distribution within city areas. 

Communication of air quality data

AirSENCE is a caaqMMS ideally suited for air pollutant mapping. City administrators and government policy makers stand to benefit from the introduction of air quality maps collecting baseline air pollution data, which enables analysts to understand what “normal” pollutant concentrations are for a given area, and what would be considered unusually clean or unhealthy conditions.

Air quality maps also provide crucial trends for understanding air-related health impacts and quality of life, which helps cities seeking to attract businesses and young talent. Publicly accessible air quality data conveys dedication to community health and wellbeing, as well as the public’s right to know. Emerging generations are increasingly attuned to these factors and will therefore gravitate to forward-thinking leaders that pursue initiatives for enhancing liveability and transparency.   

Identifying air pollutant hot spots

Air is not homogeneously distributed across urban areas, and localised “hot spots” elevate pollutant loads for whole cities. Air quality mapping helps the public identify pollutant sources and increases awareness of their geospatial and temporal variations. “Hot spot maps” also enable city administrators to design appropriate pollution reduction strategies targeted to those localities, improving cities’ overall air quality.

Some well-established and cost-effective methods to improve air quality in hotspot areas include:

• Use of sprinklers to reduce particulate pollution near infrastructure development activities (e.g., highway construction), industries (e.g., cement plants), and heavy vehicular traffic.
• Designing intelligent traffic control based on real-time air quality data to allow authorities to implement routine traffic diversions to maintain optimal vehicular density.
• Understanding the effectiveness of “Green Belts” and their modifications to urban spaces for improving air quality.
• Effective management of noxious/hazardous emissions from landfill sites, ammunition depots, and water treatment plants. Air mapping can incorporate fence line monitoring of these sites to communicate critical pollutant levels and avoid any disasters
• National/regional policy formulation for reduction of greenhouse gases and nuisance odours and improvement of indoor and ambient air quality. One example is diesel versus petrol: diesel engines are more ‘climate friendly’ than petrol engines (less CO₂/km) but are responsible for most traffic related NO₂ and particulate emissions. Many cities are setting up Low Emission Zones that limit diesel vehicle access for this reason.
• Air mapping data provides actionable directives for proactive city and industrial planning, as well as conception of air regulation norms.
• Long term studies of air, water and soil pollution data are critical for sustainable infrastructure developments, especially for economies relying heavily on agriculture and industry.

AirSENCE an Advanced, Accurate & Affordable caaqMMS - a Comprehensive Solution for Air Quality Mapping