World’s first publicly accessible hyper-local air quality network launches

More than 225 air quality sensors have been installed across the borough of Camden, providing a street-by-street picture of air quality in real time that is freely available to all.

Working in partnership with Camden Council and The Camden Clean Air Initiative, AirScape has set up the fixed sensor network, which provides 45x more data points and refreshes 60x more regularly than existing air quality reference stations.

Data collected by the network is freely available on the AirScape web platform to enable individuals, businesses and local authorities to make informed decisions to improve air quality.

AirScape aims to replicate this approach across London and in every major city around the world.

The sensor network is able to show hyper-local real time air quality data on a map of Camden. Photo supplied by AirScape

Dr Matthew Johnson, Chief Scientific Officer at AirScape, said: ‘Air pollution is one of the most profound issues facing humanity today. Tackling this crisis requires policy makers, businesses, and the general public to have a real-time, accurate understanding of air quality through accessible, publicly available data.

‘Through this project, AirScape is making the invisible, visible. Our air quality sensor network in Camden delivers ultra-high-definition detail of local air pollution. The network is supporting policy makers to make data-driven choices to protect the health and wellbeing of the local community, whilst giving the public the ability to make informed decisions every day to reduce their exposure to air pollution.

‘Camden is a vital first location for the deployment of AirScape, and our ambition is to install networks across every major city in the world, to enable a giant leap in our ability to tackle the air pollution crisis.’

Initial data from beta testing over the past month has already revealed that the platform can identify daily ‘incidents’ which occur on a micro street-level and extreme pollution differences over time, such as rush hour NO2 levels.

For example, 1 March – the day of tube strikes in London – saw high increases in rush hour NO2 levels as more people relied on road transport, while on one of the hottest days of the year so far, 17 June, unhealthy levels of ozone were recorded across the borough.

Cllr Adam Harrison, Cabinet member for a sustainable Camden said: ‘Reducing air pollution is absolutely vital to improving the health and well-being of everyone in Camden. The detailed data from this network will revolutionise how we can engage with our community, giving us the power to make smarter, informed decisions to tackle air pollution.

‘I’d like to thank AirScape, the Camden Clean Air Initiative, Camden’s in-house team of air quality experts and street lighting team for their sterling work in getting this network set up. Making this data freely accessible to all members of our community further demonstrates the council’s longstanding commitment to the open sharing of data in the public interest.’