CASI STUDIO

Air pollution monitoring: a solution for cost effective measurements

Thessalonica (Greece) and Nicosia (Cyprus) | Cairnet

Air pollution is one of the main environmental problems to be addressed by cities worldwide.
In order to foster sustainable development and mitigate climate change, it is therefore important to provide national and regional authorities with appropriate measures to reduce criteria pollutants (PM 10, PM2.5, O₃, CO, SO₂ and NOx) concentrations in ambient air.

Many cities are not able of meeting the implemented EU standards for particulate matter and NO₂. While European Union imposes strict limit values for PM and NO₂ in air through its Directive 2008/50/EC, reduction in emissions will become costly.

The EU has been funding since 1990 Territorial Cooperation programs. These include the current Balkan-Mediterranean one featuring the AirThings initiative. Its goal is to leverage the emerging technologies through IoT (Internet of Things) for air quality monitoring. And more specifically intelligent micro-sensors providing real time pollution data through internet.

As a consequence, Thessalonica (Greece) and Nicosia (Cyprus) have started to use ENVEA’s Cairnet, real-time and autonomous monitoring network mini-stations. These feature Cairsens micro-sensors and measure NO₂, SO₂ and PM. They provide local communities with inexpensive access to air quality data that were previously not available. This networking is coupled to Air Quality Monitoring Stations (AQMS) in different strategic places.

One of the key objectives of AirThings is to raise public awareness on air pollution as a major environmental problem, by addressing it with all the stakeholders. It shall contribute to a more efficient use of natural resources and climate change mitigation.

The programs also aims at the reduction of pollutant emissions in order to meet the European regulations as well as the national Air Quality Objectives defined through the Air Pollution Control Programs.

Local area partner: JB-CAMBAS