Internet of Things Lab for Air Quality Monitoring

Anthropogenic activities emit particulate matter (PM) and gaseous substances that are harmful. PM has adverse effects on different parts of the body. Atmospheric pollution is a global threat with an increasing social and economic costs. Poor air quality is a concern in African cities, but governments have been too slow to react, one of the reasons being the scarcity of data on different air pollutants. Instruments based on low-cost sensors and Internet of Things are being considered as solution to evaluate the concentration of different pollutants. Increasing number of manufacturers are proposing sensing devices with good accuracy. Low-cost sensors are an alternative to expensive high graded equipment. They are cheap and can be easily deployed. Here we present the IoT4AQ project. It is funded by the International Astronomical Union (IAU). The main objective is to organize training sessions for researchers and students on the design and implementation of low-cost sensors for air quality monitoring. The project will use astronomy instrumentation knowledge and skills. Participants will be trained in IoT techniques showing how to build low-cost sensors-based instruments and deploy them. The project starts on February 2023, will last for two years and trainers will be invited on various aspects of the trainings. Two hands-on trainings and two online seminars will be organized each year. The project will be implemented in Senegal and the first year will see the participation of local trainees and in the second phase it will open to participants from other African countries. Specific objectives are: (1) organize hands-on trainings and online seminars on IoT and air quality monitoring, (2) train researchers, teachers, and students on various aspects of air quality monitoring and (3) improve Physics education in Africa through low-cost sensors and IoT. Expected outcome are as follows: (1) train a minimum of 100 participants on IoT and air quality monitoring; (2) improve the experimental skills of participants; and (3) increase awareness of the threat that represents atmospheric pollution.