Denver, CO deploys air quality sensors to help those with asthma in low-income neighborhoods
Denver deploys sensor network to tackle asthma problem in low-income neighborhoods.
Newsworthy
Denver wins Bloomberg prize to build air sensor network
In the average Denver school, 11 percent of children have been diagnosed with asthma.
Denver wins Bloomberg prize to build air sensor network
One Mountain West City Is Tackling Air Pollution And Childhood Asthma With "Smart-City" Technology | Wyoming Public Media
Air quality is a major issue across much of the Mountain West. That’s true in some rural areas - such as Wyoming’s Upper Green River Basin - as well as...
One Mountain West City Is Tackling Air Pollution And Childhood Asthma With "Smart-City" Technology | Wyoming Public Media
Highlights
More than 10% of Denver’s public school students suffer from asthma.
The city is building an IoT sensor network to investigate the link between asthma and air quality.
Denver aims to have 40 air quality sensors in place by the end of 2021.
Data from the network will drive decision-making to minimize air pollution.
The initiative is funded by a $1 million grant from the 2018 Bloomberg mayors Challenge.
Summary
Air quality in the Mountain West is a major issue, and it is having major consequences. In low-income neighbourhoods that are in close proximity to highways or industrial infrastructure, it is believed that air pollution is having a direct impact on health. In Denver, 11.3% of public school students suffer from asthma – and the city is committed to identifying the connection between this high asthma rate and air quality.
Funded by a $1 million grant from the $ 2018 Bloomberg Mayors Challenge$ , Denver is deploying a network of sensors in schools to gather data on air quality. The sensors are developed in partnership with aerospace start-up Lunar Outpost, and they relay data to the city in real-time over 4G. This data will enable the city to measure the severity of the air pollution problem, determine its impact, and take steps to protect children and residents.
Working with TD Environmental Services, Denver has created a data platform, Airsense, to compare the new data with that collected by the Environmental Protection Agency’s existing sensors.
So far, the city has deployed five sensors in schools, and it plans to expand the network to 40 sensors by the end of 2021 – making it the largest network of its type implemented in a US city.
Data from the network will have a range of applications; for instance, it could be used to help inform traffic signal timing to minimize congestion and car emissions. Additionally, schools are using the data in the classroom to drive student engagement in the air pollution topic and sensor-related STEM programs.