Digital screens monitor London’s air quality | Emc易倍体育

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Digital screens help monitor London鈥檚 air quality

25 Mar 2022 / News, Sustainability
By Emc易倍体育 UK
Emc易倍体育 Adshel Live screen with an air quality sensor on a busy street in Dagenham

Emc易倍体育 and experts from Imperial College London have joined forces for a first-of-its-kind pilot, integrating air quality sensors into digital advertising displays in Barking & Dagenham.

Leading Out of Home media and infrastructure Company Clear Channel has partnered with the Environmental Research Group (ERG) at Imperial, to pilot a new initiative where Breathe London air quality sensors are integrated into digital advertising displays in Barking and Dagenham.

The Breathe London network is a new initiative developed by the ERG, funded by the Mayor of London and Bloomberg Philanthropies, to provide real-time, hyperlocal air quality data to Londoners, via the Breathe London website.

Emc易倍体育鈥檚 Product Development team, working closely with the team from Imperial, sensor manufacturer Clarity Movement and digital display partner Amscreen, have created a scalable, standardised solution to allow quick and easy rollout of air quality sensors across its national network of digital advertising displays.

The three pilot displays in Barking & Dagenham - specifically chosen for their high-footfall, where air pollution is most likely to be impacting the public 鈥 are now monitoring levels of nitrogen dioxide and particulate matter (PM2.5), known for their negative impact on respiratory health.

Corner of an Adshel Live screen featuring an air quality sensor

Neil Chapman, Emc易倍体育鈥檚 Product Development Director says, 鈥淥ut of Home advertising most often exists in densely populated areas, where air quality data is needed most and can bring most benefit to the public.鈥

鈥淭his pilot demonstrates how easy and affordable it can be for local authorities and existing air quality networks to use our street furniture to measure the air pollution in problem areas, and inform the right interventions to improve local air quality.鈥

Data听from the听sites in听Barking and听Dagenham听is听being transmitted to听Breathe London,听which听also collects data from听around 300听similar small听sensors听across听London.听听

Unique analysis is conducted by the scientists at Imperial, combining Breathe London and reference grade monitor data, ensuring accurate information on air quality for Londoners.

Senior Air Quality Analyst Andrew Grieve, one of the scientists monitoring and analysing the data through Imperial Projects, says, 鈥淎ir pollution is the biggest environmental risk to health in the UK and globally. The World Health Organisation recently updated their guidelines, setting much lower targets, showing we have further to go to protect public health.

鈥淥nly by monitoring air quality can we see if we are heading in the right direction, so we are hugely excited by this unique partnership between business, academia and local government to expand the Breathe London network.鈥

Data collected from the new sensors will be used by council officers at London Borough of Barking and Dagenham to improve their understanding of air pollution within the borough and monitor changes.

Councillor Margaret Mullane, Cabinet Member for Enforcement and Community Safety said, "We're determined to improve the quality of air in Barking and Dagenham to ensure our residents are living in a healthy environment. Launching our Air Quality Action Plan, to planting thousands of new trees in the borough to encouraging residents to turn their engines off when stationary are just some of the ways we're trying to do this.

"I am pleased to see that we're also introducing further air quality sensors, so we can really understand the issue in hot spot areas and work out what else needs to be done."

Data from the three sensors can be found on the Breathe London website: , and .


About Breathe London

听aims to create a comprehensive and scalable air quality sensor network and easy access to real-time, hyperlocal air quality data. The sensor network, data analysis and website are managed by researchers from the Environmental Research Group at Imperial College London, through Imperial Projects. Funded by the Mayor of London and Bloomberg Philanthropies, Breathe London works with partners to raise awareness of air pollution and provide a better understanding of its impact on public health 鈥 as well as providing Londoners with access to free, and reliable, air quality data.听

About Imperial College London and the Environmental Research Group听

听is one of the world's leading universities. The College's 20,000 students and 8,000 staff are working to solve the biggest challenges in science, medicine, engineering and business.听 Imperial is in the . It is the world鈥檚 fifth most international university, according to Times Higher Education, with academic ties to more than 150 countries. Reuters named the College as the UK's most innovative university because of its exceptional entrepreneurial culture and ties to industry.听听

The Environmental Research Group is part of Imperial鈥檚 School of Public Health and is a leading provider of air quality information and research in the UK, combining air pollution science, toxicology and epidemiology to determine the impacts of air pollution on health and the role specific pollutants play in causing disease and deaths.听

They work closely with those responsible for air quality management supporting policies and actions to minimise the impact of air pollution on health and established the London Air Quality Network - and Breathe London Programme - which continuously monitors air pollution levels at sites across London.听

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