A low-cost, rapid-deployment and energy-autonomous wireless sensor network for air quality monitoring

Air quality is an essential factor to assess the health and life quality of people. However, air pollution has become an acute problem in major cities of developing countries due to the rapid industrialization and poor handling of air pollutants. In this scenario, air quality monitoring practices have been scarcely implemented largely because of the relatively high cost and technical complexity of Continuous Air Quality Monitoring Stations (CAQMS). This paper proposes a low-cost, rapid-deployment and energy-autonomous solution based on wireless sensor networks (WSN) to improve the assessment and the understanding of air quality in developing countries urban areas, thus helping policy makers and scientists to better handle air pollution. The proposal incorporates the use of a website to display collected data and processed information in order to empower citizens with knowledge about the air they breathe.