Low-Cost IoT Solutions for Air Quality Monitoring in Lahore

Abstract

Air pollution has become a significant environmental and social health issue in the Pakistani urban centers, especially in Lahore since industrial emissions, motor vehicles and construction activities have led to negative air quality. Conventional air quality monitoring stations tend to be costly, not numerous and incapable of providing real time data. This paper discusses how a continuous air quality monitoring system with low-cost Internet of Things (IoT) can be utilized in Lahore. The deployment of low-cost sensors able to sample the particulate matter (PM2.5, PM10), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), carbon monoxide (CO) and other pollutants is the goal of the study since the sensor will deliver real-time data to be used in problem definitions in policy, urban planning and even to enlighten people. The results of data obtained through the IoT sensors within three months were analyzed to determine spatial and temporal dynamics of air pollution in the city. The results prove that the low-cost IoT-based monitoring can be successfully used to supplement the traditional monitoring stations, offer granular data on multiple locations, and enable the stakeholders to take necessary mitigation actions in time.