AQMesh is a small, weatherproof air quality monitoring unit that can take measurements of various gases and particulates and transmit data online. It offers local authorities and organizations an affordable way to monitor air quality for research, compliance, and traffic management purposes. While AQMesh provides near real-time data access and sharing capabilities, there are issues around stakeholders, public interest in air quality, and whether the data will be used effectively. Performance is key to broader adoption of the technology. AQMesh has been used in smart city projects involving multiple pods deployed across cities.

1. Measuring air quality in
smart cities
Amanda Randle
Director, Environmental Instruments, UK

2. What is AQMesh?
• ‘Bird box’ sized unit which takes key air quality
measurements:
• Gases: NO2, NO, O3, CO and SO2 (+….)
• Particulates: PM10, PM2.5, PM1
• Environmental: (pod) temperature, RH%, pressure
• Independent power: battery, solar, etc.
• Independent communications: GSM - 2G / 3G
• GPS
• Easy to install
• Online data processing and access
• (Channel 4 Dispatches last Monday night)

3. Who wants this?
• Compliance: local authorities, government,
academic institutions, consultancies
• To ‘tick boxes’
• Research – focus on health
• Traffic management
• Private organisations, eg: industrial, HVAC
• Funded projects
• Citi-Sense
• ‘Smart cities’

4. What does AQMesh offer?
• ‘Small / cheap’ sensors
• A practical platform
• Easy to install
• Weatherproof – hot, cold, wet…
• Tough
• ‘Smart’ functionality
• Communications from equipment
• Access to data online
• The stuff that happens between
• Changing settings online
• Alerts and self-diagnosis
• Processing sensor output using cutting edge techniques
• Our IP and competitive advantage safe on the cloud

5. Issues
• Data can be generated near real-time and high frequency 
• Data is available easily online and can be pushed / shared / published
directly 
• Stakeholders are not straightforward 
• Does the public actually care about air quality? 
• The public / citizens cannot afford equipment that really works  Toys…
• What is anybody going to do with the data? 
• Air quality experts are slow to move away from reference methods 
• Opportunity to broaden comms options, eg: wi-fi and reduce charges 
• Sensors are cheap and presented seductively for users to ‘have a go’ 
• AQMesh is a new product in a new market and pushing the limits of sensor
technology  

6. Performance is key

7. AQMesh in action
• Citi-Sense
• 8 cities, ~25 pods in each, mapping the city, citizen engagement
• London ‘Clean Air Squares’: http://www.teamlondonbridge.co.uk/news-
fresh-air-squares-open-
competitionzzznzzz.aspx?m=31&mi=261&pmi=&ms=
• Cambridge ‘smart cities’ project
• Many small projects: 1-4 nodes, with ambitions for up to 20
• Traffic monitoring
• Industrial fence line
• Potentially compliance (certification)
• Quoting for BIG projects:
• World Bank
• Change London

8. Questions?