Swedish multinational networking and telecommunications company Ericsson along with the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur (ITT Kanpur), and Bharti Airtel, is collaborating with the Rajasthan Pollution Control Board to deploy Narrow Board IoT sensors to measure air pollution in the city of Jaipur, India.
According to Ericsson, the low-cost Narrow Band-IoT-based air quality sensors have been installed at 40 key locations in Jaipur. These sensors are compact, simple to install, and require minimal maintenance.
The real-time data collected by the sensors is analysed by RSPCB and displayed to the public at five identified locations in the city. These displayed data will include PM2.5, PM10, and air quality index (AQI) concentrations.
In addition to increased public awareness, this will support policy intervention, and enable corrective actions to be taken to reduce air pollution, the Swedish vendor said.
Prof. Sachchida Nand Tripathi, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Kanpur, said, "The collaboration with Ericsson mainly by implementing NB IoT has helped sensors data transmissibility, reduced power consumption, and increased battery life. This has resulted in a more autonomous sensor network."
Additionally, IIT Kanpur is launching a mobile app that will help understand the generated data on PM and AQI in a more meaningful way and also aid in raising public awareness about air pollution levels among Jaipur residents.