For many years, pollution monitoring depended on expensive specialist equipment that was hard to install and maintain. Now, a White City project is rapidly changing that.
Breathe London, managed by Imperial’s Environmental Research Group, is working with Clarity Movement, a sensor company based in California. The company posts easy-to-install air quality sensors to anyone in London. Schools, hospitals, businesses, families, local government, and ordinary people can sign up to monitor pollution in their area. The data is then shared with Imperial’s Environmental Research Group.
Because the sensors are simple to use, researchers now have a vast amount of data about London’s air quality. The project is funded by the Mayor of London and Bloomberg Philanthropies, and has become a model for pollution monitoring worldwide.