The World Health Organization (WHO) has repeatedly stressed over the years that air pollution is one of the biggest threats to mankind alongside climate change. This is alarming considering 92% of people in the world live in places that do not adhere to air quality standards set by WHO. 

Due to growing concerns regarding the detrimental impacts of air pollution, humans have resorted to devising innovative means to measure air quality levels. Artificial intelligence coupled with the modernisation of technology has led to people capitalising on their mobile phones to track air quality data and one’s exposure to pollutants. 

According to a study conducted in 2018, a certain type of smartphone, the BROAD Life, was proven effective in checking instantaneous levels of pollutant concentrations. The device uses a laser detection technique that counts the number of particles in a given volume of air. The researchers assert that it would be useful in raising awareness about air quality as well as provide a basis for comparison between clean and polluted environments. 

When it comes to measuring air quality, timeliness is an important factor. People must be warned of severe air pollution levels as well as accurate values of the Pollutant Standard Index (PSI) in order to engage in precautionary measures like staying indoors. This is where information and communication technologies can shine! 

Smartphone applications are now able to display real-time information on air quality. For example, AirVisual, an app developed by IQAir, is able to compile air quality data from cities around the world, allowing the user to gather information about a particular location’s air quality levels without being there personally. Fig 1 shows that besides displaying the air quality index, the mobile app also provides relevant health recommendations corresponding to the air quality levels in that region. This allows people to make informed decisions about their plans for the day, thus reducing their exposure to air pollution.

Fig 1: A peek at AirVisual’s interface (Source: IQAir)

Besides that, smartphone cameras can also come in handy to reveal what the naked eye cannot see. An android app called Visibility, developed by researchers from the University of Southern California, allows users to snap a photo of the sky in return for air quality data (Fig 2). Each picture is tagged with location, orientation and time, which is then transferred to a server where the calculations take place. The intensity of images sent is calibrated and compared against an existing model of luminance in the sky, thus enabling the app to feed the results back to the user.

Fig 2: The Visibility app uses the phone’s camera to determine air quality levels (Source: Ganapati, 2010)

We will continue to see a proliferation of mobile applications as air pollution sensors in the near future. Through continued investment in research and development, these apps will become smarter and more advanced. Due to the convenience of cell phones, the use of air quality mobile apps may be an effective means of reducing the adverse health effects of severe air pollution, especially in developing countries. It can therefore be viewed as a practical and cost-effective strategy to help save lives and decrease people’s risk of illnesses.

 

Bibliography

Blackman, A., & Hoffmann, B. (2021, November 19). Breathe Easy: Smartphone Apps Can Reduce Exposure to Air Pollution. Retrieved from Resources: https://www.resources.org/common-resources/breathe-easy-smartphone-apps-can-reduce-exposure-to-air-pollution/

Ganapati, P. (2012, September 24). Android App Uses Cellphone Camera to Measure Air Pollution. Retrieved from Wired: https://www.wired.com/2010/09/cellphone-camera-air-pollution/

MIT. (2017, April 15). How cell phones can measure air pollution. Retrieved from Climate Portal: https://climate.mit.edu/posts/how-cell-phones-can-measure-air-pollution

Nyarku, M., Mazaheri, M., Jayaratne, R., Dunbabin, M., Rahman, M., Uhde, E., & Morawska, L. (2018). Mobile phones as monitors of personal exposure to air pollution: Is this the future? PLoS One, 13(2).