People don't pay much attention to air pollution, but the fact is that the quality of air is important for various medical conditions. Current air monitoring systems can help measure a limited range of parameters. These air pollution monitoring systems are expensive. Therefore it's not feasible for cities to use these stations for the widespread area. That's why cities don't have efficient air quality programs in place.

Government should take action and implement air pollution monitoring solutions consisting of sensors and gateway with LoRa technology. LoRaWAN is a low-power wide area network that cities can use to measure air quality. Moreover, the data can help city governors improve citizens' quality of life.

How Can IoT Help Monitor Air Quality?

With IoT, you can determine the air quality in a particular facility. Sensors and meters are embedded at specific places to identify the presence of harmful pollutants in the air. IoT solutions are powered by real-time monitoring, advanced analytics, and multi-channel alerts.

IoT tools help monitor air quality. Data about air quality is sent to a centralized place where AQI is monitored. It can be done from any place using a mobile application or a computer.

What Causes Air Pollution and What Is the Best Technology for Air Pollution Monitoring?

One thing should be clear: your living area must have clean air if you want to live a healthy life. But nowadays, air pollution is constantly increasing. There are various reasons for this rapid increase, such as industrialization, high vehicle mobility, and manufactured emissions.

In recent times, we have seen a massive transformation of cities into smart cities. One of the basic requirements for smart cities is to have clean air on their premises. Therefore, smart cities should have cost-effective and scalable air quality monitoring systems.

LoRaWAN is an effective solution for air pollution monitoring. It's a low-power wide-area network technology. Implementing LoRa with IoT solutions, sensors, and gateways can help preserve the environment. Moreover, they ensure the health protection of the public.

How Does LoRa Wireless Network Help Monitor Air Pollution?

Cities need to deploy a network of low-cost air quality monitoring sensors for monitoring meteorological parameters and air quality. Using innovative technology for detecting pollution sources can help cities take corrective measures. As a result, it improves environmental health.

Let's briefly explain how the LoRaWAN-based network can help monitor air pollution. This advanced technology enables wireless communication, real-time data, and reporting.

• Cities need to place air monitoring sensors that are embedded with LoRa technology.
• Sensors are connected to a gateway and send the periodic measurement of air quality data to a gateway.
• Gateway is responsible for sharing information with an application server. It analyzes data and finds the most affected zones. In the end, it provides recommendations.
• The role of an application server is to provide air quality level information throughout the city. This information includes pollution patterns and alerts. It shares information via mobile application or computer.
• Moreover, it measures the effectiveness of existing air quality monitoring programs. It gives suggestions about replacing or improving the air quality monitoring systems in concerned zones.

That's how an effective LoRaWAN-based network can help monitor and improve air quality.

Benefits of Using LoRaWAN-Based Network for Monitoring Air Quality

So far, we have discussed how LoRa technology can help monitor air quality. Now we'll look at some benefits of using this technology.

• LoRa devices are battery-operated, so they don't need a power source. It means they're cheap to set up.
• Sensor batteries can last up to 20 years, which means it doesn't require much maintenance. Moreover, the maintenance costs will be low.
• Connecting sensors with LoRaWAN-based networks provide excellent coverage. For example, you can connect a few hundred sensors with one gateway, and it can cover 31 square miles.
• When sensors and gateways are embedded with LoRa technology, cities get detailed data. They can find concerned zones, take corrective measures, implement better air quality programs, and reduce air pollution.

Applications of Air Quality Monitoring Systems

As mentioned earlier, when sensors and gateways are embedded with LoRa technology, they can cover a long range. They can provide pollution monitoring covering to various areas of a city, such as:

• Industrial areas
• Roads and freeways
• Schools and downtown centers
• Parks, pools, and other recreation areas

It means air quality monitoring systems are not limited to a specific area of a city.

Conclusion

Increasing air pollution is not only affecting the health of the environment. But it's also affecting citizens' health badly. To overcome this issue, cities are using air quality monitoring programs. Thanks to the advancement in technology, now LoRaWAN-based solutions are used for monitoring air quality.

These systems are easy to set up and maintain. So, if you need any help regarding LoRa design services, Arshon Technology should be your first priority. We have an excellent background in LoRa design services. That's why Arshon can be a perfect choice.

Author: Sara (Fakhri) Siahkar IoT Specialist @ Arshon Technology Inc.