Environmental pollution monitoring based on sensor network and open-software-open-hardware

The quality of life in big cities is affected by different pollutants caused by human activities. To improve the environmental quality, continuous pollution monitoring is considered, which represents a crucial factor associated with the future decision regarding mobility in the city and activities localization. The paper presents a low-cost sensors network associated with pollution measurement in Lisbon. The monitoring system includes a set of sensors such as gas sensor, a temperature, humidity and pressure sensor, and a dust sensor. The localization of the environment measurement sites is carried out using a GPS module. The system prototype can be placed on buses or other vehicles for a distributed measurement in a specific region of the city. The autonomy of the system is assured through the usage of photovoltaic panels, which provide clean energy. The user accesses the information from the sensors through a web application. It also enables the consultation of a HeatMap with red, yellow, and green zones according to pollution levels. Related to the mobility and pollution level in the city, the application includes a specific functionality that allows creating a route with a starting point and endpoint specified by the user to avoid high polluted regions between two locations of the city. Experimental tests were performed regarding system autonomy, and a set of measurements was carried out mounting the system on an electric bike that traveled around the city of Lisbon.