Smart sensor firm Drayson Technologies has partnered with Moovit, “the world’s number one transit app”, to support a pilot programme that could allow urban travellers to gain a better handle on local air pollution levels.
Users of the Moovit public transit app in London, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Mexico City will be able to view local air pollution levels, depicted on maps provided by the CleanSpace app, part of Drayson Technology’s CleanSpace mobile air pollution monitoring platform.
Moovit users in each city can also request to be equipped with CleanSpace tags, personal air pollution smart sensors (pictured, opposite) designed by Drayson Technologies, in order to collect “hyper-local air pollution data” as they travel in and around their cities. These personal smart sensors are about the size of an iPhone.
Moovit users will be able to link to the CleanSpace app from within the Moovit app. The Moovit community members equipped with CleanSpace tags will crowd-source air pollution data wherever they are, helping to build a global map of air pollution.
The CleanSpace tags collect data about the levels of carbon monoxide in the vicinity, which are shared with the CleanSpace app via Bluetooth.
The choice of carbon monoxide (CO), as an indicator of air pollution generally seems interesting. Drayson Technologies says CO is relevant to both indoor and outdoor air pollution and is relevant world-wide, independent of national or local components of pollution.
The firm worked with the Environmental Research Group at King’s College London and the National Physical Laboratory when testing the resolution and accuracy of CleanSpace.
Lord Paul Drayson, Chairman and CEO, Drayson Technologies, said: “Drayson Technologies and Moovit are two forward-thinking organisations that recognise how technology can improve our lives. With this partnership, we’re combining two areas of innovative technology, crowd-sourced journey planning data and an Internet of Things sensor network, to build information for the benefit of the wider public.
“Air pollution is a global issue but through the provision of accurate data, we can help shape how the public chooses to travel and improve air quality across the globe.”
• See https://our.clean.space to participate or learn more.
